Fear Of Life

I watched a movie about some high school kids planning a group suicide. It was a pretty stunning film in that it seemed so ordinary. There were many remarkable moments as the script allowed the viewer to get to know each of the characters individually. Their personalities, their fears, what made them tick etc.
But a comment (philosophy) that remains with me from the film had to do with the aspect of the kids facing their greatest fear, and that in facing it they became liberated to live the remainder of that final day without concern for any repercussions for their actions. They were able to live outside of boundry and self-restraint (with devastating consequences, I might add).
It was one of the girls who said “The fear of death is the greatest fear that people face.” And it was her belief that conquering that fear held the promise of personal redemption.

But I disagree. Death is easy.
It is the fear of living that is the greatest fear that people face. The fear of ones own pain. The fear of emptiness, of loneliness, of futility, of being without love.
The fear of keeping up, of measuring up, of being unsuccessful, of being alive and facing the unknown. It is what paralyzes people. It is what drives people to self-indulgent and self-destructive behavior. It is what keeps people from ascension to greater places within themselves. It is what keeps people from success, personal and professional.

The fear of living is what prevents people from facing their own mortality without fear.
The fear of death is really nothing more than the fear of a continuing life.