Fearing death

Is the fear of death a good thing?

 

At a dinner today, a colleague of mine at the MAP was talking about how scared she was of flying, and how that fear has developed over time because of some bad experiences with flying. A random thought went through my mind: is it because she's afraid of dying?

 

And then I thought: if I died today, I'd be completely OK with it. I've had a good life. I've had interesting experiences. I've seen some of the world. I've met many different people with very different thoughts.

 

Is that a good thing though? It just doesn't sound normal to be sitting here in my twenties thinking about how I'm OK with dying. Is it because I have nothing to lose? That's true to certain extent - my friend, she is engaged, has dreams and ambitions. I on the other hand have lived a happy-go-lucky life. Net net, I've definitely taken more from the world than I have given back, and if you do a NPV analysis considering the time value of money, or any sort of input for that matter, I am very very much in the red.

 

Is it because I have no ambition? The words of a former boss went through my mind, who said he's impatient because he doesn't want to die without making a big difference in this world, and that's what gives him his ferocious drive.

 

Or is it because I know now that life is a process, and how you've lived it is all that matters.

 

Hmm, perhaps its time to crack open that copy of Bhagavad Gita I purchased last week and see if any ideas pop into my head.