Human Persons as

Oriented Towards Their

Impending Death
LESSON 15
 How does the reality of death define
our lives?
🠶 Death is commonly understood as the end of bodily
functions which signals the end of a person’s life.
🠶 It also refers to the separation of the body and the
spirit.
🠶 T h e body, being material, is bound by laws of time and
space and is subject to growth, death, and decay.
 How does the reality of death
define our lives?
🠶 W e are born into human life, we grow and age, and
we eventually die. This paradox defines the uniqueness
of human existence.
 How does the reality of death define
our lives?

🠶 W e must embrace the fact that death is an

integral part of our life.
🠶 A c c e p t a n c e of our temporality can give us a
clearer purpose and focus on our activities.
 How I should live my life before it
finally ends?
🠶Self-determination is the capacity to choose and
act for oneself. A person can still exercise freedom in
choosing how to face the reality of death in their
lives.
🠶We can choose to spend our lives doing good
and reasonable things. The person is the author
and protagonist who determines the development
and conclusion of his/ her story.
 How I should live my life before
it finally ends?
🠶 W h a t is the end of this life?
1. Terminus which means the full stop or end of a line.
For them, life ends and nothing follows.
2. Telos which means “goal, purpose, or fulfillment”.
Death is not the goal of life

🠶 M a n is put on this earth to live a meaningful life, to

be virtuous and achieve excellence
🠶 W e can look at two experiences which make us
reflect on the meaning of life: happiness and
suffering.
 What makes you happy?

🠶Ancient Greek philosophy considers happiness as an

achievement and must be gained by living a
productive and moral life.
🠶Happiness is a “whole-life satisfaction” based on our
evaluation of our overall life experiences.
🠶Happiness is a state of being and not merely an
emotional experience or a chosen mental attitude.
 The goods or sources of
happiness
🠶 N o b l e good is one which is pursued for its own sake;
it is good in itself (Examples: love & friendship)
🠶Useful good is considered good so long as it serves as
a means to an end; its goodness is found only from
what it can provide (Example: money)
🠶Pleasurable good is good so long as it provides some
form of pleasure, though it does not have to be
physical (Netflix subscription, Mobile Legends)

Real happiness can be found in more permanent

and meaningful things.
Why do we
suffer?
🠶Suffering takes place when we patiently
endure unpleasantness, discomfort, and pain
It may come from:
1. Physical suffering (discomfort, hunger, distress,
& pain)
2. Mental suffering (depression, anxiety, fear, loneliness
& grief)
🠶Sufferings are necessary, without it, we are unable
to grow and improve.
🠶Remember that difficulties are not without reason
 How do happiness, suffering,
and death give meaning to
your life?
🠶 The pursuit of happiness that we go through
requires
effort to achieve . Efforts are often
the marked
it
difficulties and discouragement.
by
🠶 T h e reality of death means that our existence is
unique and that we will not always get another
chance to do the things we want in this life.
Therefore, we should not easily give up on the pursuit
of good things.
 How do happiness, suffering,
and death give meaning to
your life?
🠶Reflecting on the reality of death enables us to think
of how we can best live a meaningful life.
🠶 W e can strive to leave behind a legacy either in
the form of an inheritance, a reputation, or a
significant achievement.
🠶Because of our freedom, how we choose to live
our lives is entirely up to us.
🠶L i f e is a gift given to each person and it is
important to turn this life into a gift for others as well.