We are all human and we all have ego. The ego wants above all control, and cling to what can be seen, touch and explained. Our minds are comfortable only in the security of the known. That which cannot be fathomed is simply too scary for the ego to entertain in its limited world view.
Our culture, the educational system reinforced this tendency. We tend to equate intelligence with a logical mind and sensibility, and dismiss our intuitive and creative faculty. In the process we lost awe of the mysteries of life and a large part of our true capactiy laid dormant. We are taught to think in acceptable norms of the society, and that fleeting voice of the heart are not trusted.
The ego's identification with control and what can be known is the reason why the subject of death is treated as much of a taboo. I draw on Rodney Smith:
"Consider the question of what it means to be human. Birth and death are the boundaries of our known existence and embody the enigma of life. We atempt to understand who we are and investigating where we came from and where we are going. This is one of the reasons that death holds such a fascination for us. By approaching it we hope to gain insight into our real nature, but that nature is as unfathomable as death itself. So the mind works to make death understandable even as our hearts delight with the impossibility of the task."
The ironic thing is when the world view is fragmented, life has a way of forcing a balance upon it. Often we appreciate this too late.
Our culture, the educational system reinforced this tendency. We tend to equate intelligence with a logical mind and sensibility, and dismiss our intuitive and creative faculty. In the process we lost awe of the mysteries of life and a large part of our true capactiy laid dormant. We are taught to think in acceptable norms of the society, and that fleeting voice of the heart are not trusted.
The ego's identification with control and what can be known is the reason why the subject of death is treated as much of a taboo. I draw on Rodney Smith:
"Consider the question of what it means to be human. Birth and death are the boundaries of our known existence and embody the enigma of life. We atempt to understand who we are and investigating where we came from and where we are going. This is one of the reasons that death holds such a fascination for us. By approaching it we hope to gain insight into our real nature, but that nature is as unfathomable as death itself. So the mind works to make death understandable even as our hearts delight with the impossibility of the task."
The ironic thing is when the world view is fragmented, life has a way of forcing a balance upon it. Often we appreciate this too late.