An Irrational Fear of Death

Nobody wants to die, not even the suicidal or terminally ill. What everybody wants is life. So much is clear, and it may from this seem reasonable that we should all fear death, that the great scare that we are witnessing is a sign of emotional health, and that all of this is quite natural. However, life is not the opposite of death. It is quite possible to be alive but without life, because a life paralyzed by fear is not a life at all. This insight can be found in all great religions, past and present, and was particularly strong in old Norse mythology. In this mythology, an entire realm was dedicated to the spirits of people who never dared to live. This realm was called Hellheim, or simply Hell, a gloomy place with no joy and no laughter.

Norse mythology is full of fun and adventure, so much so that many react with disbelief when confronted with accurate translations. Where's the stern severity? Where's the gloom and doom? It's nowhere to be found, except in Hell and at the end of time when all Hell breaks loose and there's no alternative but to go out and fight as best we can.

This world view captures the spirit of the Vikings. They lived with adventure, which is in fact the only way to live life fully. But very few people live this way. Most people live in fear. They fear the taxman, they fear the police, they fear job loss, and they fear disease. The result of this is that many people don't actually live. Life is something that they plan to experience on the golf course when they retire. Life is in the future, and this is why so many fear the virus. They are petrified at the thought that they might die before they have lived. But with life always something kept for the future, none of these people will ever live, regardless of what happens, and that means that Hellheim is going to swell its ranks of graceless dead no matter what the virus brings.

Mask of the Beast