IMMERSION INTO THE SUBJECT: Definitions/Questions/Theory
The end of life of an organism or cell. In humans and animals, death is manifested by the permanent cessation of vital organic functions, including the absence of heartbeat, spontaneous breathing, and brain activity. Cells die as a result of external injury or by an orderly, programmed series of self-destructive events known as apoptosis . The most common causes of death for humans in well-developed countries are cardiovascular disease, cancer, alzheimer’s disease, certain chronic diseases such as diabetes and emphysema, lung infections, and accidents.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002.Published by Houghton Mifflin.
The death is one of some experiences common to all the peoples and all the companies. But how various persons conceived the death and the way these conceptions shaped their behavior and of practices varied over time and according to the cultures. Through the art, people expressed attitudes in front of the death which, in some respects universal, are whereas in the others, personally and the culturally specific. They have, besides, to use a wide range of objects, images, and structures to negotiate the processes of the ageing and the death, the mourning and the remembrance.
In every culture death is everywhere; celebrated or feared. But why? Why in certains countries death is been celebrated as a joyful event? For example in the Hispanic culture such as Mexico, people celebrate death during the “Dia de los Muertos” ( Day of the dead). The days of the dead are truly a celebrating of life. For them death is not a fatality. At contrary, it’s all about be together , all about familly. When children dance with caricatures of death, eat skull sugar molds and learn to respect that life is brief, they learn there is a circle to life and to not fear death and then are free to enjoy and appreciate every moment. They transform a fear in something beautiful. For westemers, is a black and white vision whilst for other culture, it’s colorful. The combination could be well associated with the idea of attending a wedding or a funeral. Why death should be something sad and depressing?
Why death should be scary? Maybe because of the unknown, we don’t know what is after even if religion try to gather ourself with belief about somenthing after. But I think what really scares us is the fact we will be nothing after all, we won’t let any mark on earth or there will be the time when people will start to forget us or the idea of us; like our face, our voice, our smile, our perfume etc.. As Martin Heidegger’s (german thinker) says:
Facing one’s own death is radically different from being concerned with the death of others. My own death means the end of my possibilities, the total desintegration and the end of my world. The fear of my own death comes from the fear of my extinction as a human being. I may be ableto face other peoples death but may find it virtuallly impossible to come to terms with my own death. So by the end are we all selfish? Don’t we care about other because at the end it’s only matter of what people will memorise from us.
