The mind, through fear of death, is capable of suffering, within a few
moments, the tortures of an eternity, although to accomplish death,
Nature may require only a few minutes. The extent of the mind's
capability for suffering is beyond compare.
Nature has been distinctly conspicuous in imbuing us not only with grave
doubts and uncertainties, but also with an unshakable fear regarding
death. In the deepest moments of despair, when living has absolutely no
attraction and life becomes a burden and a menace, we fight desperately,
and without abatement, for this narrow, worthless thread of existence.
Possibly the fear that we have in the face of death is caused by the
fact that we must suffer pain before death is accomplished. And a great
deal of the theory of "self-preservation" is due merely to our great
horror of pain.
The indisputable fact that thousands "take their lives" by choosing the
least possible painful method demonstrates, with a firm conviction, my
thought that it is the avoidance of pain, rather than the retaining of
life, that prompts our efforts to live.
It is only too true, and heard from the lips of thousands, that if they
"could only lie down and never awake, what a blessing it would be." We
speak in terms of "having lived too long," "being tired of living,"
"life not worth living," etc., as if life were a prison sentence, and,
often, rather than continue the servitude, we surmount and overcome the
deterrent of pain and destroy the life.
Very often our desire to keep on living is prompted by our baser
impulses. We "live" sometimes to "get even" with someone--to spite
someone. We "live" sometimes to be able to "show" what we can or cannot
do. Were it not for these baser impulses, what an unlimited number of
people would refuse to continue this monotonous, painful and non-paying
life!
The foregoing expressions of life, at one time or another, represent the
feelings of all humanity. In the United States alone during the year
1920 it has been conservatively estimated that more than twelve thousand
persons committed suicide. These persons were engaged in all kinds of
pursuits and came from ALL walks of life. They ranged from social
outcasts to society leaders; from poverty stricken unfortunates to
persons of great wealth; from illiterate men and women to editors and
college professors; from laborers and layman to physicians and
ministers. The youngest suicide was a mere infant of five years, the
oldest, a centenarian of 106! Among the suicides of last year were two
evangelists and twelve clergymen. It would appear that those who had
devoted their thoughts and services to God would at least be spared the
agony of such suffering as to force them to prefer death and to take
their lives. I say with Ingersoll, it is a wonder God does not at least
protect his friends and defenders.
The reluctance we have to die is due in a large degree to the
possibility of securing a few more moments of joy from an already too
much troubled world, with the hope that a little compensation will be
derived from the pain and sorrow we have endured.
And yet those things that we may live to enjoy to-day and to-morrow may
likewise be present to thrill us at some future date, away and beyond
the limitation we are capable of surviving. It is from this desire that
we unconsciously "feel" that we would like to "live" always, to get our
full measure of return; and since such is neither the lot nor the
privilege of our possession, it really makes no difference when we die
as far as personal satisfaction is concerned.
The fear that possesses us now in the matter of death will likewise and
with equal force possess us later, when we actually and without
ceremony must submit to the inevitable.
The desire that possesses a person to live now will, with equal
attraction, obsess him later.
Our desires and aspirations are never satisfied. What we may cherish to
accomplish to-day may be consummated and achieved, yet to-morrow another
something will demand our energies to be spent for further desires to be
accomplished.
When we are babies we desire to walk; when we walk, we desire to talk;
when we talk, we desire to grow; after we grow, we want to learn; after
we learn, we want to do and to expand--and our performance and expansion
are only curtailed by insolent death!