Death Q & A III

As we reopen the world, mortality salience keeps spiking.

Death is out of the closet but that doesn’t mean we’re comfortable with it. We still don’t want to think about it, to be forced to think about it every time we go out to buy groceries.

Some people’s denial is clearly exhibited in behavior that increases the likelihood of infection. Other people’s anxiety is seen in their evident fear of anyone.

Mortality salience is aversive. Many people don’t like it. And when they feel something they don’t like, many people want to return to neutral or better with a palliative compensation for that bad thing. Boosting self-esteem by showing off for my fellow believers is a quick and easy hit.

It’s easy to understand denial. We are constantly told that we are hard wired to fear Death. Death is always the heavy, never the good guy. The story is never told from Death’s point of view.

I have made it one of my main life priorities to get to know Death’s side, to have a personal relationship with Death and to be open about it. That also means listening to where other people are at with Death, because it’s really hard, really emotional, and there’s almost nowhere to go where you can ask anyone about it.

Religions usually have answers to questions about Death, but religions have other agendas — like…