Death: An Exploration
- Reads 10,799
- Votes 56
- Parts 4
Discover Insights about Coping with Life's Most Feared Mystery
This book will help anyone who is interested in learning more about death, coping with a loss, approaching death, or explaining death to a child. It is an exploratory journey that includes multiple viewpoints, including Steve Jobs's embrace of his death, Ray Kurzweil's striving for immortality, and Joseph Campbell's view of death as the "ornament of life." The book looks at death from the perspectives of atheists, Christians, and Tibetan Buddhists, among many others. Interestingly, it considers the often unexplored aspects such as the curious relationship between death and ayahuasca. It is a guidebook, offering insights and comfort on a topic that many find frightening or macabre.
The author grew up with a skeleton in his living room, and surrounded by other symbols of death. His unusual upbringing makes him uniquely qualified to serve as guide. As you join him in discovering more about death, you will find yourself enjoying a fuller life.
Highlights of what you will learn...
Theories from Great Contemporary Minds
Spiritual Insights
Scientific Discoveries
Personal Reflections
A Review:
"In Death: An Exploration: Learning to Embrace Life's Most Feared Mystery, Loren Mayshark shares his personal inquiry of what death is or could be in the stories of others as they faced the inevitable and find solace in religion, science, nature, spiritual guidance. But the exploration doesn't stop there. While knowing and understanding death often remains a conundrum, this exploratory primer suggests what is separate can be whole; what defines death, defines life. Death: An Exploration: Learning to Embrace Life's Most Feared Mystery is a terrific read for those embarking on their pursuit of the illusive, the contrary, the inescapable: death... and life."
-Linda A. Lavid, author of The Dying Of Ed Mees
All Rights Reserved
#13
sociology
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Death Is My BFFLAD (Book Two Original Series)
(Bfflad- Best friends for life and death) Dear Reader, Let's start at the beginning shall we? I died. Oh no, not one of these stories again where someone angelic and heroic saves the damsel in distress. If only I was that lucky. My heart stopped beating. My lungs stopped working, my soul began to lift away... And then I was saved by a beautiful man with a kind heart and sparkles sprinkled around his head in a golden halo. A cunning, dazzling smile etched his angled features and his hair lay perfectly on his head like...black, sinful layers of pure cynical distrusting evil. Evil that was just waiting to onset a innocent girl as myself and allow her a short amount of time of happiness, and then finish her off when she became older. I'll give you a hint. The beginning of that description was slightly exaggerated. The Angel of Death. One of the only creatures known that was capable of settling the boundaries of heaven on earth. The only creature capable of making one of the Devil's darkest deals to my loving mother; a second chance for her daughter. This comes with consequences of course. Everything you know about Death is wrong. Death is not natural, Death is not normal, Death is not doleful, and Death is far from mercenary. Death blends into the shadows like coal against the most atramentous sky. Death walks the earth with his cursed, monstrous and exotic features, his enticing voice and betraying alluring eyes. Death deceives, scratches, and plays with your mind, until you slowly and painfully loose your grip on reality. He'll make you believe he's a different person, that there's a sliver hope for him. Hope for you. Death is close. Forever and always, Faith Williams ************ DIMBFF FAN CLUB ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1605057011183.80718.1378871754&type=1#!/groups/308207282529485/ **** MY WRITING PAGE! Please join! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-aka-katrocks247-from-Wattpad/208740202517075Complete
On Earth's Altar
The discovery of a prehistoric body sets in motion a cataclysmic chain of events long foretold by ancient prophecy . . . . Still grieving his mother's death, Seattle bachelor Peter Barshman receives a cryptic message from his estranged father. As he ponders its meaning, he is approached by Nechama Davila, a young Israeli archaeologist who believes Peter and his father harbor information about a stolen artifact of immense importance. But she's not the only one zeroing in on Peter. When assassins strike, the two of them are thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse where the only hope for survival is finding the artifact before the killers find them. Tinkering away in his basement laboratory, former CDC virologist R. K. Brisling receives an urgent phone call. The vice president of the United States is dead, and Congress wants to know why. Dragged out of semi-retirement to investigate, Brisling returns to the CDC in Atlanta, where he confronts his tragic past and a looming viral outbreak beyond his wildest fears. When Brisling traces the outbreak to its unlikely source, he uncovers an astonishing link between the virus, the artifact and the ancient prophecy--a link that could shape the future of human civilization. _____________________________ Here's what others are saying about ON EARTH'S ALTAR: "... This is definitely one of the best books I've ever read on WP!" -- @linahanson, Wattpad Ambassador "Intelligent, mysterious, beautifully written ..." -- @Megerah111 "Very Dan Brown like ... I've read all of his novels. For storytelling, attention to research, and writing style, I'd put [G. F. Berntsen's] writing on par with his." -- @elmersewardComplete
Alone At Last (UNEDITED)
PLEASE READ DESCRIPTION! Everyone likes being alone once an a while. That feeling of peace and all your problems drifting into space melting away, 16 year old Luke soon learns that being alone is not always a pleasant feeling. When he wishes to be left alone upon a wishing well he soon discovers being alone isn't such a nice feeling. As Lukes mind slips away from reality he's losing sanity. How much longer can he take this madness?? Is he doomed too forever be this way? Take a journey with Luke as you read the story "Alone At Last" as he struggles to survive. PREVIEW INTO BOOK: ... When I shut the door behind me I realized that no cars were driving out here either. They were all empty and abandoned. As I strolled by there were no people talking in the coffee shop windows. There were no people eating in restaurants. There were no sounds except my heavy breathing and the howling wind. "HELLOOOOOOOO" I shouted, "IS ANYONE HEREEEEE HELLOOOOO!!?" I continued to call out to no one in particular feeling a little agitated by the growing silence. That's when I heard it... The winds howling came to a stop. The world seemed to stop turning. Time itself came to a halt. Leaves caught in the breeze and remained motionless. That was until the wind came calling back to me, and in this it whispered one word that answered all my questions... Alone- ---------------~~~~~ Thank you for choosing to read my story I hope you like and enjoy it!!! Please note: I am not a professional writer and I am terrible at spelling so don't judge!!!! THIS IS THE UNEDITED VERSION! THE EDITED VERSION WILL BE POSTED SOON! WARNINGS: NOTE: BOOK INCLUDES: 1.) SWEARING - & HATEFUL WORDS 2.) BULLYING - 3.) SUICIDE & MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH (also incudes thoughts and mentions of it)- 4.) BLOOD & GORE (lightly graphic)- 5.) ABUSE- 6.) And other things like that Don't say I didn't warn you!!! DONT FORGET TO VOTE !!! <3Complete
A Life by a Thousand deaths
How many deaths must a soul endure before it becomes whole? A Life by a Thousand Death is a confession made out loud. Not to be forgiven. Not to be saved. To be witnessed. It moves the way memory moves when it is honest, recursive, unfinished, and allergic to clean timelines. What I call the past is not behind me. It is in my throat. It is in my sleep. It is in the way my body prepares for loss before anything has happened. I was called a miracle before I was old enough to understand what that word demands. Later, I was treated like a burden, as if the miracle had expired and only the cost remained. My family did not pass down stories. It passed down rules. Some were spoken. Most were enforced through silence. A person learns quickly what cannot be named without consequences. A person learns to live with gaps, and to call them normal. Each chapter is a record of what had to be cut away to keep going. A belief. A name. A future. Sometimes innocence. Sometimes tenderness. Sometimes it's the simple ability to ask for what I needed without feeling guilty for having needs at all. These are deaths of the soul. Some are quiet enough to hide inside a regular day. Some are loud enough to rearrange the whole house. If you are looking for redemption, you will not find it here. This is not a story about healing. It is a ritual for the in-between. For the ones who kept living when living stopped feeling holy. For the ones who learned that survival is not always a victory, sometimes it is just a continuation. What survives is not hope. Not the kind people sell. What survives is the body still moving. Jaw locked. Lungs dragging air. Steps taken without consent. A life carried forward on discipline, stubbornness, and the strange refusal to disappear. Unholy. Unforgiven. Alive.![Sigh【Ein X Reader】[ Completed ]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/154430585-256-k41494.jpg)
Sigh【Ein X Reader】[ Completed ]
CONTENT CONTAINS : SELF HARM SUICIDE ATTEMPTS SUICIDAL THOUGHTS MENTAL ILLNESS SEXUAL CONTENT DRUG USE ABUSE GORE VIOLENCE & STRONG LANGUAGE IF YOU'RE EASILY TRIGGERED OR UNCOMFORTABLE, DO NOT READ!! • " What was that for? " " For you to shut up " " What? " " It's not what it looks like " " Ouch " " Sorry " " What was that for? " " I don't know " In that moment, is where everything started to change my life. • I tried my best to hide it. I thought I was going to be dead, never underestimate him. He's got shit you've never seen before. I lost my father because of him, my sister's and brother's life are in my hands. I have to be careful, I can't loose them, without them, how can I live? Until he came into my life, I feel different from the inside. His eyes meets mine, it's like a fire was lit inside a dark room and it became brighter, my world that was upside down is turning the right way up, I think I love him, but the problem is. I'm using him while I Sigh in plain sight. Who is this 'he'?, What will 'he' think when 'he' finds out this person is using 'him'?, Will it end happily?, Or another plot twist that has been in my other books? Read this book to know. FYI, Ein is human in this story. [ Completed ] Started : 3rd September 2019. Finished : 3rd December 2019. [ Highest Ranking : #27 in Aphmau ] [ #2 in Ein ] [ #1 in Ein X Reader ] [ #2 in Sigh ] Disclaimers : I do not own ANY of the characters only the ideas, they belong to a youtuber called Aphmau, I don't own any of the songs either or the pictures, except Y/n, it belongs to you. There are a few characters that I OWN. My OC : Xelora Kiselyov Catherine Fox Ash Lee Mandrell Natalie Rosetta Mandrell Coraline Alycia Jones Mariko AkiyamaComplete
After An Apple's Death
[Humour / Adventure] The World of Living Apples has always thought about what happens after an apple dies. I'm an apple. And I died. Others told me I had to be the test subject for their experiment. For that, I had to kill myself by fire. I killed myself so that I could tell everyone what happens after an Apple dies. But what happens after an Apple dies? Quests and battles. Having a voice in your head. Loving for the first time. And, eventually, a split between paths, a choice that has to be made, and a conditional heartbreak. [Cover by @MissMysteryGame, thank you!!] [Completed & Writing Extras]Complete
THE BIG STEPPERS & THE MADDNESS OF A GOODKID.
This isn't just a story-it's a trap. A story within a story. Because Death isn't just the narrator-he's the writer, twisting reality, rewriting fates, and crafting a novel of his own. He calls it The Hunter Eats The Hunter-a novel of power, madness, and the thin line between predator and prey. As Death twists the narrative for his own amusement, Eville Barbara-a town where horror wears a familiar face-begins to unravel. Nightmares walk the streets. Disappearances go unsolved. The past refuses to stay buried. Reality isn't just fragile here; it's negotiable. And within the city's shadows, masked figures known only as the Pig Head Killers stalk their victims, their purpose unknown, their methods ritualistic. At the center of it all is Liam Adler-Death's twin brother, an angel who sacrificed his wings to walk among humans. Now, in his seventh and final life, something is wrong. The lines between past and present fracture. Reality bends. And Liam is being toyed with. Because Death isn't just telling his story-he's rewriting it. As Liam spirals through a city devouring itself, he begins to realize his fate was never his own. The past is a puzzle. The present is a lie. And the future? That depends on whether Liam can survive the final game Death has written for him. The First Church of Eville Barbara stands at the heart of the town's oldest and darkest mysteries. It's where the faithful gather. It holds secrets that should have never been written. And above it all, Death watches, weaving a story that feels less like a tale-and more like a trap. But here's the real question: Is Death telling this story, or is he rewriting it? And if he is, how much of it was ever real? What does that mean for Liam, for Eville Barbara, for the very idea of free will?
In Loving Memory of My Brother
|5X FEATURED · SPOTLIGHT STORY| Learning to cope with death is one of the most challenging obstacles any of us has to face, especially if that death is unexpected. When your whole world has changed, what do you do to overcome grief and keep your loved one's memory alive? *** I never knew how much trauma could affect a person until after my older brother died unexpectedly on August 17th, 2021. I came out of the experience as not the Victoria I was used to, but the Victoria who now had a massive hole in her heart. I come from a long line of fighters. My family and I pulled off different strategies to help us move on from such a devastating death, strategies that I am going to share in this book. Sometimes, the best way to overcome grief is to write about it. After all, writing is an escape to a different world where I still have my Green Guardian. These pieces and pictures I'm going to share with you are not meant to depress anybody, but to illustrate just how wonderful a person Matthew was. His story is sad, but it's a story of hope. His legacy remains in my heart today, and I want to share it because I know I'm not the only person who has lost somebody so unexpectedly. *** Ovid (on when his brother died): "iamque decem vitae frater geminaverat annos, cum perit, et coepi parte carere mei." ("And he had just doubled ten years of his life when he died, and with him, a part of me.") ⭐ Featured on @StoriesUndiscovered || Change in Reality Reading List. ⭐ Featured on @nonfiction || Personal Struggles, Essays, and Coping Reading Lists. ⭐ Featured on @nonfiction || Our #NonFicSpotlight (May Spotlight) Reading List. ⭐ Featured on @nonfiction || Past Spotlights Reading List. ⭐ Featured on @nonfiction || Memoir Reading List.Complete
Death Is My BFF (Book 1 Original Series)
Watty Award Winner 2011) *ORIGINAL SERIES* This is the first book of the Original Death Is My BFF Series, which won the Watty Awards in 2011! *** Death came knocking at her door. Well actually, he pounded. Faith Williams has always been a little odd, but never before did she think she was one of a kind. Enter Death, the legendary, sadistic, and irresistible Grim Reaper who sparred Faith's life when she was a child. The more she tries to resist him, the more he's popping up in her life and turning it entirely upside down. Death is dangerous with a dark past and a thirst for revenge, and Faith Williams is slowly becoming unable to resist his power over her. Who is the man under the hood? What does he want with her? Most importantly, why the hell does he have a name for his scythe? ** This is the FIRST of the DIMBFF series. *** Fan Made Book Cover uses image from = michellemonique on Deviantart.com! http://michellemonique.deviantart.com/ MY WRITING PAGE! Please join! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-aka-katrocks247-from-Wattpad/208740202517075Complete
Into the Gloaming
Persephone can't understand why everyone expects her to be upset at the sudden and mysterious death of her mother, she had always been brought up accepting death as a natural fact of life. With the threat of Child Protection Services looming, Persephone's father finally tells her what he and her mother had been up to in their little business in the industrial district. He had designed an automated room to euthanise people when they felt they had lived as much as needed, in an attempt to start combating overpopulation at a local level, hoping that someday the idea would not be taboo and he could operate his business openly. When Persephone's father has a breakdown and abandons her the truth comes out for the world to see, and the next few days are a whirlwind for Persephone, who spends a night in hospital, moves in with a grandmother and aunt she never knew she had, is interviewed by police and is finally taken to her father's trial to give evidence, all the while contemplating the moral issues brought up by what her father has done, and whether anyone is truly evil, deciding that if her father was trying to do what he thought was right, he shouldn't be punished. At the trial it is revealed that the automated room her father had been using to kill people was triggered by a signal sent from his home every time Persephone turned the television on, realising that she was responsible for hundreds of deaths Persephone breaks down. The next few weeks see Persephone building a new life for herself with her grandmother and aunt, having grown up considerably since her mother's death, still conflicted over what her father had done, and wondering what she should do next. Into the Gloaming has previously been long listed for the QWC/Allen and Unwin Manuscript Development Award, and the QWC/Hachette Manuscript Development Award.Complete
(Bfflad- Best friends for life and death) Dear Reader, Let's start at the beginning shall we? I died. Oh no, not one of these stories again where someone angelic and heroic saves the damsel in distress. If only I was that lucky. My heart stopped beating. My lungs stopped working, my soul began to lift away... And then I was saved by a beautiful man with a kind heart and sparkles sprinkled around his head in a golden halo. A cunning, dazzling smile etched his angled features and his hair lay perfectly on his head like...black, sinful layers of pure cynical distrusting evil. Evil that was just waiting to onset a innocent girl as myself and allow her a short amount of time of happiness, and then finish her off when she became older. I'll give you a hint. The beginning of that description was slightly exaggerated. The Angel of Death. One of the only creatures known that was capable of settling the boundaries of heaven on earth. The only creature capable of making one of the Devil's darkest deals to my loving mother; a second chance for her daughter. This comes with consequences of course. Everything you know about Death is wrong. Death is not natural, Death is not normal, Death is not doleful, and Death is far from mercenary. Death blends into the shadows like coal against the most atramentous sky. Death walks the earth with his cursed, monstrous and exotic features, his enticing voice and betraying alluring eyes. Death deceives, scratches, and plays with your mind, until you slowly and painfully loose your grip on reality. He'll make you believe he's a different person, that there's a sliver hope for him. Hope for you. Death is close. Forever and always, Faith Williams ************ DIMBFF FAN CLUB ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1605057011183.80718.1378871754&type=1#!/groups/308207282529485/ **** MY WRITING PAGE! Please join! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-aka-katrocks247-from-Wattpad/208740202517075
More detailsContent Guidelines