Man is afraid of Death for two reasons.
That it is painful.
Another is that one might enter uncharted territory after Death.
As to the latter, legends abound in all religions
From the Swarg and Narag to Dante’s Hell.
There is rebirth and there is no Rebirth but Eternal Peace.
The Self does not die but the body does.
Hinduism states , in Mythology, that one does undergo the states of Hell and Heaven , depending on his deeds.
At the same time, it states, there is no death no Sin , neither Sacred Actions from the stand point of the Absolute.
These are all abstract.
People do not worry too much about these when they envision death.
But what people do worry and are scared about t is the pain that might accompany the onset of Death.
Hindu systems, say that, for natural Death, the bodily functions shut down gradually , one by one.
At an advanced age, say after 80, ears go off first,followed by the sense of smell.
Food intake becomes reduced gradually, more urination, eyes become filmed and totally sightless.
Breathing becomes shallow, one gasps,eyes become transfixed, chest heaves, hands and feet thrash themselves.
The Adams Apple raises, the last breath whoosh out.
On the other hand let us see what Science has to say on this.
The dying process usually begins well before death actually occurs.
Death is a personal journey that each individual approaches in their own unique way. Nothing is concrete, nothing is set in stone. There are many paths one can take on this journey but all lead to the same destination.
As one comes close to death, a process begins; a journey from the known life of this world to the unknown of what lies ahead. As that process begins, a person starts on a mental path of discovery, comprehending that death will indeed occur and believing in their own mortality. The journey ultimately leads to the physical departure from the body…
The Journey Begins: One to Three Months Prior to Death
As one begins to accept their mortality and realizes that death is approaching, they may begin to withdraw from their surroundings. They are beginning the process of separating from the world and those in it. They may decline visits from friends, neighbors, and even family members. When they do accept visitors, they may be difficult to interact withand care for. They are beginning to contemplate their life and revisit old memories. They may be evaluating how they lived their life and sorting through any regrets. They may also undertake the five tasks of dying.
The dying person may experience reduced appetite and weight loss as the body begins to slow down. The body doesn’t need the energy from food that it once did. The dying person may be sleeping more now and not engaging in activities they once enjoyed. They no longer need the nourishment from food they once did. The body does a wonderful thing during this time as altered body chemistry produces a mild sense of euphoria. They are neither hungry nor thirsty and are not suffering in any way by not eating. It is an expected part of the journey they have begun.
One to Two Weeks Prior to Death
Mental Changes
This is the time during the journey that one begins to sleep most of the time. Disorientation is common and altered senses of perception can be expected. One may experience delusions, such as fearing hidden enemies or feeling invincible.
“Death is one section of life span though momentary. Birth, having somewhat variable period depending on the type and complication of birth. Then, we have the period of growth, youth period and then aging into old personality before the final momentary death. From conception to that final momentary death stage, I do not really think, whether any of the processes to attain those stages, is painful to the person.
At conception neither egg or sperm must be feeling pain since, there is no brain or nervous system. While at birth the mother does feel pain but I do think the infant must be feeling it. During growth of bones or size of the body, youth stage or aging, it is felt none of the processes are pain giving. From this I conclude, even the final jolt of death also must not be a pain giving. Meaning just before any type of death, one must be getting unconcious and thus death may not pain giving process !!!..
One of the things that has been found to occur during death is the release of Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT. I think death would become quite “trippy”.
pain rakes fro few moments before death…
“Death is the permanent cessation of all biological functions that sustain a particular living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death includebiological aging (senescence), predation, malnutrition, disease, suicide, murder and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury.[1] Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death. The death of an organism also results in a permanent absence of consciousness(wiki)
Death is not always painful. Some people die without any pain at all. But others have a lot of pain. Up to 35% of patients describe their pain in the last week of life as severe or intolerable. Again, this does not need to happen, and it breaks my heart to write those words. (Below I’ll share some tips on making sure your pain is treated adequately.)
The amount of pain you experience can vary depending upon your diagnosis. With cancer, up to 90% of people experience pain at some point in their journey, and half of people dying from cancer have severe pain. Sadly only half of these people receive reliable pain control.
Why is Pain Undertreated?
First of all, it’s important to say over and over again that pain can and should be treated well at the end of life. According to the World Health Organization, patients have a right to have their pain treated. So why do some people still die in pain? Some of the reasons include:
- Fear of addiction – People who are dying, family members, and health care professionals alike often carry a concern about addiction. But this should not be a concern at the end of life.
- Lack of communication – Physicians need to realize you are having pain in order to recommend treatment.
- Fear of tolerance – Some people are afraid that if they use medications now, they will fail to work later “when they really need them.” This isn’t true and if tolerance develops, a stronger medication or a different medication may be used.
- Lack of training – Some physicians have had inadequate training on how to manage pain at the end of life.
- Desire to be a “good” patient – Some people hesitate to ask for pain medications for fear that they will be a “bad” patient and fear bothering their doctor. Remember, physicians are being paid to manage pain.
- Fear that medications will hasten death – Studies have found that treating end of life pain with narcotics and even palliative sedation does not shorten life…
Well, one does not really know, as we have no testimony on this.
Whatever it is, it is inevitable and let’s be practical about( as though other options are available!)
Sources:
http://www.volconvo.com/forums/philosophy-religion/19201-death-painful.html
http://lungcancer.about.com/od/endoflifeissues/a/Is-Death-Painful.htm
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