Death seems to be closer to us

I hope others don’t feel the same sentiment, yet have you ever wondered that death seems to be closer to us? Recently, we see posts about mourning or grief from our friends on social media.
Data provided by the United Nations states the mortality rate in the Philippines for 2021 is 6.037 percent and 5.968 percent last year. Upon checking the death rates from 2010 to 2019 and the prediction for this decade (2020 to 2029) there is an approximately 1.10 percent increase rate per year. Yet the approximate 1.10 percent increase is normal since generally, our population is growing. Even with the Covid-19 pandemic or even with the rise of diseases due to sedentary lifestyle, increase in statistical predictions are conservative and normal.
Do we perceive death seems to increase because it is widely broadcast on social media? Our lives drastically shifted to digital. Unlike before, when someone dies, we don’t post anything due to various reasons. Due to the pandemic, we are forced to embrace technology and apply it in our personal lives. We have embraced for our emotional and psychological well-being, one of them is to express our grief. Technology also sped the spread of information. It also widens the coverage of receivers of information. We tend to receive more news and information unlike before, including news about the death of a person. Before, we were not aware that our classmate is grieving for his relative. But with social media, we now immediately know when one is grieving. It gave us a platform to easily and conveniently comfort someone.
Nonetheless, I still wonder if death has come closer to us. It seems supernatural and scary. Some might conspire that the world is nearing its end. Every day, there are people dying in my neighborhood. Close friends grieve for the death of their friends or relatives. Death seems so close that I believe why I live in front of the cemetery also has a purpose. What if somebody I know or love passes away? What if it is my time to meet my fate? These thoughts rob us of our happiness.
Being scared or anxious leads us to overthink, suffer, and get depressed. We always tend to ask: Why God? Why me? Why her? Why do we suffer? Why do we exist?
When I was teaching Philosophy of the Human Person, one of my PowerPoint slides emphasized “Death is no enemy; it restores our sense of the value of living.” As Heidegger emphasized, death is certain, indefinite, and unavoidable. It is the greatest possibility. I’m not in the position to state this but to live authentically or live life to the fullest extent, we must accept that death is part of our life. Seize every second, every moment, and every opportunity. Treat everything like it’s your last day alive. It will be a challenge for all of us to accept death in general – the death of our loved ones and the possibility of dying.
To the bereaved, we must accept that everyone has to go. We are with you in the time of grief and mourning. We wish each one grieving right now to be fully healed from sorrow.
For those with an anxious heart and fearing death, I believe acceptance will free us from anxiety, feed our well-being, and lead us to be whole. May we all surpass our endeavors in life. (KURT ZEUS L. DIZON)