Happiness and Death
Death is a subject that is not typically addressed by positive thinkers. However, dealing with the fact of death is of paramount importance for both individuals and societies. Death itself is a fact of reality, and as such is objectively value-neutral. Those who are affected by the death of a loved one often feel sadness. This is natural, as sadness is an emotion that expresses loss. People themselves are great sources of happiness, and the death of a loved one often represents the loss of a major source of happiness for someone.
As with any event or condition, there are both positive and negative aspects to death. The negative aspects of death are well known, but few people are aware of the positive aspects. Below are eight positive things about death.
- Death is a thinking tool that helps one prioritize goals
- Death is a driver of productive action
- Death enforces safe behavior
- Death is a relief for the seriously injured
- Death ensures population control
- Death enforces good health habits
- Death supports a robust living population by filtering out genetic errors
- Death teaches independence by challenging attachments to friends and family
There are many other benefits of death; the above are just a few. A highly creative person could generate a hundred more benefits; even a thousand more benefits. Death itself does not cause emotional pain. As a rule, nothing external can cause you emotional pain, only your own thoughts and beliefs can cause you emotional pain. What causes you to feel emotional pain about death is not death itself but your own attachment to your stories about death.
