Death is a common fear shared among the majority of the human race. It is a concept that we often associate with “the end” —being the moment that our beings cease to exist. But like anything else, there is another way to look at death. And for the purpose of my argument, let us refer to death as a transition. This transition marks a period in time that our beings do not end but move on into another chapter of existence. Instead of dying, we transition from one moment into another.

Now, why call death a transition? We are made up of two realms, the physical and spiritual. Our physical entails our body, the shell that encompasses our soul (for clarification purposes the soul and spirit are interchangeable terms, essentially amounting to the same essence). Our bodies bleed and bruise, traits that are unobtainable within the spiritual realm. The physical imprisons our soul. It is a walking, breathing clock that ticks away until our shells collapse and spirits move on. What most can’t conceptualize is that our bodies do not encompass who we are. The physical is merely what we see—how we look to others, what color our skin is, and how long our hair is. But these traits do not define us. They are physical traits that categorize us to a particular place in society. The spiritual realm defines us. It is our consciousness, mind, and memories—phenomena beyond the capacity of the physical. It is the spirit that grows, develops, and lives eternal life. I say eternal because spirits cannot die. It is an essence, or energy, that constantly lives. It transitions through time, for a purpose too complex to truly understand in the physical.

For those who are skeptical, let us remember the law of conservation of energy. In physics, the law states that energy can be neither created nor be destroyed, but it transforms from one form to another. If we were to apply this theory to the concept being discussed, the same relation applies. Our spirits are the nonphysical parts of our beings, responsible for emotions and character. This energy, the spirit, is the qualities that formulate the definitive characteristics of a person. And because these elements embody our psyche (inner self) they cannot be destroyed, only transform or transition into other forms. Therefore, the physical, our bodies, are able to die. They are created and destroyed. But the spirit, our true identity, is interminable and eternal life.

We go through different stages of our lives to learn. Every obstacle, struggle, trial, and tribulation serves a purpose that we might not always understand. More often than not, it is not the end result that is significant but the journey. The experience is when we learn the most. I feel the same applies to the relationship between the physical and spiritual. The spirit uses the physical for a purpose, one that is hard to rationalize. Often times in the physical, we fall short of aspirations. But the process itself enhances our spirit, learning new things to use when transitioning on. This eternal life, this timeless existence, enables us to develop ourselves into the best beings we can be. But if our development is timeless, we can’t die. Death would be a contradiction to the essence of time, and therefore, cannot exist. So now, is death really that scary of a thought? Just think about it.