Death

I was what you are; you will be what I am. | A black & white portrait series and interviews on death.

Death may be the single most unifying experience amongst humans, and amongst all organisms. Not all living things are born, but all life on this planet is destined to die. Even Earth, our generous and nurturing host, will one day meet her end. Death may be seen as failure, a shortcoming of biology, but it is a confirmation that we have lived. We exist in a world that is hardwired for life, and it is this stubborn insistence that has brought us to where we are today. There have been five mass extinction events on earth, each one making way for a new age of existence. Anthropocene, the era of man, has brought about the sixth. After becoming the dominant life form on this planet, we have destroyed everything that gets in our way and everything that offers us even a modicum of control. Fear and evasion of death is one the most fundamental instincts organisms have and human intellect has invented of multitude of ways to avoid it, both material and psychological. Industrialization has done the most in extending our lifespan and also provides myriad methods to destroy life. When death cannot be evaded, and indeed it never really can, humanity turns to consolation. We’ve invented narratives, rituals, and global institutions which provide an alternative to the ultimate end. For many, it's comforting to imagine an eternal existence, a place beyond sight where the very core of our being may live forever. It's a promise that we may be rewarded for actions, which are often thankless, and that evildoers will one day face justice, which they often don’t.  

I have always feared death. Even when I was a Christian, no concept of death or afterlife offered me any peace. Eternal existence was horrifying, even in heaven. Departure from all I had ever known and an uncertainty that no amount of research would clarify was to me a curse. Even still, we all must find a way to cope with this ever-looming danger. I first found peace in acknowledging death’s inevitability; No amount of fear, effort, or belief would ever stop death. I started to find comfort in thinking of death as unifying, as equality. It’s a journey we all must embark on, and some find it all too soon and in horrifying circumstances. If children, saints, and cowards could do it, then I too could accept the situation. I now understand existence as a privilege we have been gifted, for even a moment, the opportunity of experience, of agency, and of comprehension.  

To say death is nothing to fear is dishonest, we all have good reason to be scared. But there is no reason for it to be taboo. If we could all have open discussions of death, we might all live with more intention and do away with the confusion, heartache, and exploitation that is caused by death’s mystery.