About Life and Death
By Jagadish Mokashi | Mind Mint
Introduction
What is "Life" and what is "Death"? In normal terms we can say that Life is "Ending" and Death is "Beginning." Got confused? OK let us see what it actually means.
This concept made me think seriously when I lost someone very close to me. After that loss, so many questions started coming into my mind — what is life, why do we come here, why does everyone face death, why are we born and why do we die? All these kinds of questions made me very disturbed inside. It seems very hard to digest. But unfortunately, we are never able to know the answers to these questions. And even if we somehow get close to an answer — we will never truly feel satisfied with it.
Death represents the cessation of life's processes. It is the great equalizer, transcending the boundaries of wealth, status, and influence. Despite its inevitability, death remains a mystery, inviting introspection about the nature of existence, consciousness, and what, if anything, lies beyond.
The interplay between life and death underscores the fragility and preciousness of our time on Earth. It prompts reflection on the legacy we leave behind, the impact we have on others, and the impermanence of all that we hold dear.
Life Means Ending
Technically life means taking or giving birth, but logically it is the end of its previous part or existing form. Spiritually it is mentioned that a living being on this earth has to end its life span and take new birth again in a different form. It is the cycle of birth and death — depending upon Karma — what he or she has done in the previous life, according to that they take their next life. Again taking birth and ending with death.
Punarapi Jananam, Punarapi Maranam Punarapi Janani Jatare Shayanam Yeha sansare khalu Dusthare Krupeya pare pahi Murare
Until uttering "Moksha" — Salvation — this cycle continues.
Life is the only platform where one can enjoy all happiness and unhappiness by living it fully. A lot can be seen, a lot can be thought, a lot can be done, and a lot can be created. It all depends upon emotions, intelligence, flexibility, and the way of thinking about oneself.
There are only two ways life will go — live according to yourself or live according to circumstances. The choice is yours. But no one knows how their life will actually unfold — and that is the most suspenseful thing in this world.
Life is Full of Struggling
Life is full of struggle right from the moment of taking birth to the very last breath. Life has its own protocol.
We think everything is in our hands and we can do whatever we want. But unfortunately it is not like that. We always become fools in the game of life. Just take a look back at your own life days till today. Sometimes it is full of confusion — what to do, what not to do, how to do it, why to do it. What we thought was very right at first — as time goes on it starts becoming wrong. All problems start from that only.
Many people give their opinions about what life is — but that does not mean all others will have the same experience. Everyone can define their own life statement.
Life actually looks like a positive word — but most of its part is filled with struggle, no peace, decreasing happiness day by day, losing strength and interests both physically and psychologically. As days go by we start feeling that whatever we have done is of no use. This is the life of almost all people in the world.
According to research published in the Journal of Positive Psychology in 2021, people who found a strong sense of meaning and purpose in their lives showed significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression. The researchers studied over 4,000 adults and found that a sense of purpose was one of the strongest predictors of both mental and physical wellbeing. This tells us that the struggle of life becomes bearable only when we find meaning inside it.
A Moment That Changed My Thinking Forever
There was one specific moment that made me think even more deeply about all of this.
When my friend's mother died, everything around him collapsed. For my friend, his mother was his entire universe. Whatever happened to him — whatever problem, whatever happiness — he would always go and share everything with his mother first.
When she died after a long illness, he completely broke down. He went into depression for almost two months. No eating. No talking. No sleeping. Just sitting alone all the time — staring at nothing. It was very difficult for me to console him because there are no words in any language that can fill that kind of emptiness.
That moment made me think very deeply. Whatever happened to him — it could happen to anyone. It could happen to me. And honestly, if something like that happens — I really don't know how I would take it. I don't think anyone truly knows until it actually happens to them.
Research from Harvard Medical School, published in 2022, confirmed that grief and loss cause measurable changes in brain structure — particularly in areas responsible for emotional regulation. This shows that what my friend experienced was not weakness. It was his brain and body responding to one of the most painful human experiences that exists.
Death is a Beginning
Death is not the only "End" of an existing life — it is also the "Beginning" of a new one in a different form.
You might be thinking — why can we not take the same form as before? The answer is simple. As I said — we take birth depending upon our Karma. What we did previously determines what we become next. Death is only the gateway for ending the existing birth and stepping into a new life.
Everyone has bad feelings about death. They think it will stop and take away their happiness, achievements, feelings — and the last funny one — their property too! But one thing most people do not think about is that death also takes within itself all your negative emotions, worries, sufferings, and pains — both physical and psychological. It makes you free.
When we die people remember us more — not while we are living. Whoever knew us well starts missing us. People avoid us while we are alive and worry when we die. How funny and how true that is. Death has the power to change the way people think about a person who was there. Missing someone is actually a positive feeling born from a painful one.
A major study by Dr. Sam Parnia at New York University Langone Health, published in 2023, examined over 500 cardiac arrest survivors across multiple hospitals. Approximately 40 percent of survivors reported some form of conscious awareness during the period when their hearts had stopped beating. Many described feelings of deep peace and freedom from pain. This research suggests that death — as we understand it — may not be the complete end of experience or consciousness.
Why Humans Fear Death
Humans naturally fear uncertainty — and death represents the greatest unknown experience. No one fully understands what happens after death, which creates fear, curiosity, and emotional discomfort.
Terror Management Theory — supported by over 500 studies conducted across more than 25 countries — suggests that awareness of death is actually the central motivating force behind much of human behaviour. When we build families, create things, pursue achievements, or follow spiritual paths — we are trying to find meaning that goes beyond our temporary physical existence.
Ironically, people often realise someone's true value only after losing them. Relationships may be ignored during life but become precious after death. This shows how deeply human emotions are connected to loss and absence.
My Message to You — The Reader
We think that everything belongs to us just because we achieved something. But honestly, whatever we have achieved is nothing in front of nature.
So please — do not be egoistic. Do not think that everything is happening because of you alone, that you are the only person who can control everything. When we think like this, God is definitely smiling — not in anger — but with pity. He is watching us believe we are more powerful than we actually are.
Just try to be a normal human being. It does not matter how much money you earned or how much knowledge you gained — none of it is going to be useful at the very end. Nothing.
What will matter is how you treated people. Try to be humbler and kinder — not just with humans, but with animals too. With every living thing around you.
And keep this one bitter truth always in your heart — whatever you do, however great you become — no one is going to stay here forever. Every single one of us has to leave this place one day.
So live gently. Love deeply. And never forget how temporary — and how precious — this life really is.
Last Words
"Life is optional but Death is Certain."
We may have the option of how we live — but there is no escaping death. Life has more struggling and death gives relief and freedom from those sufferings and worries.
What I think is that we actually need to change the definition of Life and Death. Life and death represent the dual facets of existence — forming the inexorable cycle that defines the human experience. Life, with its vibrant energy and myriad possibilities, unfolds as a complex tapestry of moments, relationships, challenges, and achievements.
From the profound beauty of birth to the richness of shared experiences, life unfolds as a profound and ever-evolving narrative. And death — rather than being the enemy of life — is simply its most honest teacher.
— Jagadish Mokashi
Sources:
- Journal of Positive Psychology, 2021 — Meaning, Purpose and Wellbeing
- Harvard Medical School, 2022 — Grief and Brain Structure
- Dr. Sam Parnia, NYU Langone Health, 2023 — Near Death Experience Research
- Terror Management Theory — Greenberg, Solomon, Pyszczynski — 500+ studies
- Viktor Frankl — Man's Search for Meaning