The Vitality of Death: Essays in Existential Psychology and Philosophy (Contributions in Philosophy, no. 5)

Peter Koestenbaum has written that death reveals us to ourselves as individuals and as finite. This insight has considerable consequences for those of us who would be wise about our end. As he points out we realize that: Man cannot escape death. He must construct his life with the clear realization of that fact. He must accept the fact that he has been condemned to death. Then he can start living. He will neutralize fear. Once he has recognized death the individual is on his way to becoming decisive. By remembering death man concentrates on essentials. Through the awareness of death an individual achieves integrity. The person who knows he will die finds meaning in life. Death makes man honest. The realization of death leads to strength. To accept death means to take charge of ones life. The thought of death helps one to assume a total plan for life. Awareness of death breaks the stranglehold of failure.