2 ms·
This looks like a band-aid solution on problems we created ourselves. I was reading quite a bit on this subject and it looks like humans were much more at peace
by mantas 9y ago
This looks like a band-aid solution on problems we created ourselves. I was reading quite a bit on this subject and it looks like humans were much more at peace with death a century or two ago. Without using LSDs or whatever.
We as a society have changed so much since then. We either need to undo some changes or work out new ways to get along with death. On the other hand, band-aids may be good as temporary solution. But it's definitely not "the right prescription"...
- gboudrias 9y agoI should do more research on the subject of social attitudes toward death throughout History. I think you may be right that it helps explain a lot of our less healthy (or more controversial*) habits. It's possible though that life itself feels much more oppressive; though it most likely isn't, our subjective experiences are often extremely alienating and their purpose very abstract (compared to say, plowing fields).
- mantas 9y agoThe major change is your average citizen no longer sees death. Not so long ago, death was everyday occurrence. Elders or sick ones dying at home. Some of siblings dying at young age. Wars sweeping by and leaving a trail of corpses. Now people not only die less frequently, but they usually die away in hospitals. The other change expectations of continuity. All religions have some sort of explanation for death. Whatever the explanation was, one of the reasons was to comfort people. Meanwhile today's popular explanation is void. Of course people are scared of unknown emptiness. Both the process and what comes after that are totally unknown today, while they were rather clear not so long ago.