Chapter 9. And then you die

Marc says death scares us; because we avoid thinking about it, talking about it, and sometimes even acknowledging it, even when it’s happening to someone close to us.

Marc here shares the example of Becker’s most influential intellectual book. The denial of death. Becker argued that we are all aware at some level that our physical self will eventually die, and death is inevitable, and that is our biggest fear.

To compensate for this fear, we try to construct a conceptual self that will live forever. Therefore, people try so hard to put their names on buildings, statues, and spines of books. All the meaning in our life is shaped by this innate desire never to die.

In ancient Greek and Roman history, people were to keep death in mind to appreciate life more and remain humble in the face of adversity. Likewise, in various forms of Buddhism, the practice of meditation is often taught as a means of preparing for death while staying alive.

Marc says we all need to learn to accept death and make the thought of our own death lighter. This can be done by identifying and confronting our entitlement, taking problems of our problems, suffering through fears and uncertainties, accepting failures, and embracing rejections.

So this was the book that I have tried to implement entirely in my life, and I am thrilled with the result.