The fear of death is one of the most spread fears experienced by human beings. However, each person fears different concepts related to death. For instance, “some people fear death itself, while others fear being shut in a coffin and buried underground” (Sass, 2002, p. 52). From the religious perspective, some people know about their sins committed on earth in their life and are afraid of the punishment for those sins as opposed to people who believe in God and His wisdom and know about the salvation that will come and the peace they will find after death.
“Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” (Biblica, 2011, Exodus 20:20). As the fear of God is viewed as one of the most powerful ways of preventing people from sinning, they should be afraid of God and His wrath. In this respect, the only thing that people should fear is God’s power and his ability to punish the sinful instead of worrying about the earthly things that would not influence the peace of their souls.
It is claimed in Genesis 23:1 “Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old” (Biblica, 2011). This means that people became afraid of death because they did not live long and no one could tell them how long they can live. This reflects the Christian perspective regarding death because people became vulnerable since they were banished from paradise and could rely only on themselves. As such, people that believe in God claim that the moment will come for every person.
I believe that the humanistic existentialistic philosophy explained by Bevis (1989, p. 50) best fits my understanding of human nature, human society, business, and the Good as integral parts of the nursing profession and principles of our work. When my grandfather died, I was little and did not understand the concept of death but knew that this was an even full of grief for my father. Now, I know perfectly what it means to be a nurse and how I, as a professional, can bring relief to patients and communicate with them using the humanistic existentialistic philosophy which presupposes acknowledgment of human nature and human needs prior to the business.
Nursing can best incorporate moral obligations of love injustice only if every staff member realizes the difference between decisions made when he/she experiences love or when he/she is led by the moral obligation of justice to fulfill the professional duties and responsibilities. For instance, I had a case when a patient was waiting for a living donor organ for almost a year and was eligible for it; however, the organ was given to a person who was brought to the emergency room and would die without this transplantation because the organ was injured. So, my patient did not get the organ but we all, including him, knew that this was a just decision.
In a time of Fear and Death, Christian integration functions effectively as never before because people feel the need for compassion and try to support those who suffer from loss or need more attention and some warm words to feel stronger and confident the next day.
Reference List
Bevis, E. O. (1989). Curriculum building in nursing: A process (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Biblica. (2011). Bible: New International Version. BibleGateway. Web.
Sass, von R. (2002). Threads of fate determine human life. Rio de Janeiro: Ordem do Graal na Terra.