Collegiate Times

The achievements of humanity are as vast as the cosmos. We have built some cool stuff, figured out better ways of killing each other, explored every corner of our planet and even went to the moon. Today we feel in control of our world and very much the dominant and enlightened species.

This is not true.

Despite the advances mankind has made in the last 100,000 years, not much has truly changed, specifically our fear of death and our relentless quest for immortality.

From the moment humans became self-aware, they have known one certainty: They will die. From the beginning, people have done what they can to ease the terrifying feeling of closing their eyes and becoming nothing. Burial rites, afterlife preparation, reincarnation and eternal salvation are all buzz words to help ease our fear of death. These terms mean more today than they did in the past.

Before industrialization and the emergence of a large middle class, only the upper 1 percent of the population truly worried about dying. Only the kings and emperors had a life comfortable enough where they could stop and think, "Will anyone remember me?" Peasants never had time to even dream up such thoughts. They were too busy struggling to stay alive. The ruling class did have time for these thoughts and did its best to be remembered. As a result, we have the Pyramids of Giza, the Mausoleum of Augustus and many more relics of the ancient world.

My favorite ancient legacy is that of Genghis Khan. A study in 2003 discovered that close to 16 million Asian men have distinct genes that can be attributed to Khan. That's right, Genghis Khan has 16 million descendants. Having children is, of course, the oldest and still most practiced form of achieving immortality. If you can't find that special someone, here are some trends that are popular in our American culture.

Simply take a picture of yourself and post it on the Internet. This is our generation's past time: making sure plenty of strangers know what we look like. The underlying force behind the absurd amount of pictures people take of each other and share is the fear of death. People want to be known, and the Internet makes this possible, at least in theory.

If anyone on the planet can access the Internet and see me, then everyone on the planet will know I am alive. The Kinks sang it best: "People take pictures of each other, just to prove they really existed." In fact, much of the usage of the Internet is a result of people trying to create a legacy. YouTube, blogs, Deviant Art and even simply leaving a comment that acknowledges an e-mail addresses are all ways the Internet is being used out of our fear of kicking the bucket.

Ignoring the Internet, everyone has something they do out of this common phobia. Have you saved anything for the sake of saving it? Do you have a collection of anything? Both of those are prime examples of engaging in an activity because of our fear. We attempt to create order in a universe where nothing lasts. "If I save these objects, maybe someone will save the memory of me," is what plays in the back of our minds whenever we add something to a collection.

My favorite immortality technique is organ donation. Think about it. I die, and someone gets my heart. An essential part of my physiological makeup continues to function inside of another human being. If a portion of my body is still alive, then it is like I am still alive to a small degree. Pretty cool, right?

There is nothing wrong with death or being afraid of it on a subconscious level. As a matter of fact, I can think of no better motivation than the fear of dying. What is wrong is thinking we are greater than what we really are. We play by the same rules as every other animal. Our motivations are rooted in animalistic thinking.

As the late George Carlin once said, "We are barely out of jungle on this planet. What we are is semi-civilized beasts with baseball caps and automatic weapons."