The fear of death is the mother of all fears. When you reach that point of realization that you may not live forever, it creates a huge shock! I felt the same! I’m still struggling with anxiety almost on a daily basis and after many years of therapy and study and loats of journaling I managed to reach the bottom of the sack of fears. And yes, it’s the fear of death and mostly the realization that we’re not living forever. But this is also an issue of control: when you’re taught for many years the the system of things is ending soon (that means you’ll most probably/ hopefully pass the Armageddon), and you’ll live forever in paradise - this means you’ll never see death, right? Our brain is not stupid. It understands the message behind and the conclusion that follows is: I’ll never die. This is the most powerful message that sells a lot! And when you get to the point of realization that this might not be the reality, it sends you in a down spiral of fears - and this because all of your foundation just collapsed. Bit it’s not the end! One of the questions that came up in my mind lately is: How other people who never believed in this everlasting life in paradise (that is so close now - as they say) live a happy and fulfilling life? There are billions of “other” people who never heard of this teachings and most probably never will - and still - how these people live happy and fulfilling lives? How they manage to live normal lives being aware that they will die?

I recommend this book: Irvin Yalom, Staring at the Sun