Question

After reading Bell Hook's interview with Pema Chödrön, explain how an awareness of death might benefit us.

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) Pema in the interview with Hook talks about death and how she learned about it through the experience of another. A person that Pema knew was once battling cancer and the friend was told that she shouldn’t even think for a moment that she is not going to die. A harsh as it may have seemed, it was the truth that this patient on the brink of death needed to hear. It felt like the truth was finally tangible and not really an option.

Pema says that it has been spiritual to learn to accept death. It is the acceptance of ending things gracefully and the acceptance that things are constantly coming to an end. The fear of death, Pema says, is more like the fear of not having control. However, if one accepts that they are never in control, it becomes easy to accept death. Therefore, the fear of death benefits us by helping us let go of the insecurities that come when we lose control over things. In other words, it helps us gain a sense of acceptance and keeps us secure even in a situation where we have no control.