A Purpose for Dying
Pluto's famous Cave allegory is a story that describe the nature of education and enlightenment in people. Many people come across a realization of sorts, and then they are disturbed at first but then begin to see the world clearly and discern it for themselves. I've had a similar experience.
I was eight years old when my grandfather died. Up until then, the subject of death had never occurred to me. So as I approached my grandfather, ready to give my respects, I watched his motionless face. I thought he had been frozen. I, curious as ever, wondered what it would be like if I died one day. I then closed my eyes and tried to imagine the unchartered land of the dead.
I remember how I did it. I had imagined a world where I …show more content…
At this point, in my quest, I no longer remembered what I was looking for. When I read 'The Denial Of The Death' by Ernest Becker where the author talks about how humans have tried to create 'solutions' to the 'death problem', I realized that I was doing the same which was to create a narrative that would make death seem more tolerable, but I would always fail in that task. Even the idea of creating a legacy through one's work or through one's bloodline that outlives him/her long after one has died, does not give me comfort. Maybe I am being narrow-minded. I am still too young to start or visualize the legacy that I would leave behind, not knowing the mirth knowing that your ideas live on in another. However, my idea is that no matter how long-lasting a legacy can be, it is mortal just like you and I. The poem 'Ozymandias' by Percy Bysshe Shelley describes a torn-down statue of the late king Ramesses II who had constructed the statue himself, so that his name would be remembered decades on after his death. The poem clearly describes how legacies also have a limited
Pluto's famous Cave allegory is a story that describe the nature of education and enlightenment in people. Many people come across a realization of sorts, and then they are disturbed at first but then begin to see the world clearly and discern it for themselves. I've had a similar experience.
I was eight years old when my grandfather died. Up until then, the subject of death had never occurred to me. So as I approached my grandfather, ready to give my respects, I watched his motionless face. I thought he had been frozen. I, curious as ever, wondered what it would be like if I died one day. I then closed my eyes and tried to imagine the unchartered land of the dead.
I remember how I did it. I had imagined a world where I …show more content…
At this point, in my quest, I no longer remembered what I was looking for. When I read 'The Denial Of The Death' by Ernest Becker where the author talks about how humans have tried to create 'solutions' to the 'death problem', I realized that I was doing the same which was to create a narrative that would make death seem more tolerable, but I would always fail in that task. Even the idea of creating a legacy through one's work or through one's bloodline that outlives him/her long after one has died, does not give me comfort. Maybe I am being narrow-minded. I am still too young to start or visualize the legacy that I would leave behind, not knowing the mirth knowing that your ideas live on in another. However, my idea is that no matter how long-lasting a legacy can be, it is mortal just like you and I. The poem 'Ozymandias' by Percy Bysshe Shelley describes a torn-down statue of the late king Ramesses II who had constructed the statue himself, so that his name would be remembered decades on after his death. The poem clearly describes how legacies also have a limited