You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
It is one of the human condition's greatest ironies that while we cannot imagine our death, we are all certain of its inevitability. Death is one of the few guarantees of life, a prospect that causes significant anxiety. In a variety of diverse societies, humanity's response to this fear is to propagate a belief in and desire for immortality and permanence. Many cultures throughout history have proposed legends or myths to help people cope with death anxiety. For example, in the Hindu religious beliefs, the legend of Markandey provided hope for eternality. Markandey's parents prayed to Shiva for a male child. Shiva gave them the option of a gifted child who would die young, or a simple child who would have a long life. His parents chose to have a gifted child and thus Markandey was destined to an early death. However, as Markandey grew, he became a devoted worshiper of Shiva. So when Yuma, the god of death, came to collect him, Shiva fought Yuma off and granted Markandey eternal life for his devotion. Similarly, in the Christian religion, God grants devoted worshipers eternal salvation and happiness. Jesus “instructeth the young man how to attain eternal life … and promiseth reward to those that forsake any thing to follow him” (Matthew 19:16-27, The Holy Bible: The New King James Version, 2009).
Stephen Cave explores a variety of myths, including those from Hinduism and Christianity, and delineates four major narratives used by society to alleviate death anxiety in his 2012 book Immortality: The Quest to Live Forever and How It Drives Civilization. He asserts that the major principles underlying all belief systems contemplating immortality fall into one of four major narratives: staying alive, resurrection, soul, and legacy. Cave lays the groundwork for his conclusion that immortality is flawed and that society would be better served giving up the drive to be immortal by utilizing the “wisdom narrative” (p. 269). The “wisdom narrative” proposes that empathizing with