Fear of Death in Different Cultures

USA

17 (73.9%)

China

0 (0%)

India  (just the Hindus)

0 (0%)

Japan

1 (4.3%)

Northern Europe  (Germanic, Baltic)

3 (13%)

Southern Europe  (Latin)

0 (0%)

Eastern Europe  (Slavic, etc)

1 (4.3%)

Latin America

1 (4.3%)

Muslim World

0 (0%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 13

[Ghost of Alex Libman]

... and why?  



EDIT:  This thread is missing something...  Hmmm...  Some death-related artwork maybe?

[Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)]

USA, we have the highest value of life out of the rest mentioned.

[Ghost of Alex Libman]

[...] we have the highest value of life out of the rest mentioned.

That just repeats the assertion without answering - why?

[Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)]

Because life is cheap everywhere else in the world.

[libertylover]

Latin America, more uneducated deeply religious people belonging to a faith that doesn't glorify death.  I realize this is a sweeping generalization and it is just an opinion. 

[Ghost of Alex Libman]

This thread is all about sweeping generalizations. 

But doesn't religion promise heaven 'n stuff, to make people less afraid?

[fatcat]

I have no fucking idea.

Thats the only sensible answer.

[Ghost of Alex Libman]

C'mon, you can use speculative reasoning to deduce from what you know about those cultures.

[rookie]

Latin America, more uneducated deeply religious people belonging to a faith that doesn't glorify death. 

Mexico glorifies their dead.

[libertylover]

Latin America, more uneducated deeply religious people belonging to a faith that doesn't glorify death. 

Mexico glorifies their dead.

But, I wouldn't take that to mean, Mexicans are think if only I were dead then people would like me.  They respect their dead.  

When I think of glorifying death, I mean when the culture glorifies suicide or martyrdom.  Early Christian doctrine did glorify martyrdom for the religion.  But the church now doesn't see that as such a noble cause.  However, even here in our culture we do glorify self sacrifice of individuals to save others.  For example the solider that jumps on a ied to protest his squad from the blast and ends up dead.  Then is awarded the Metal of Honor.  In Japan and Ancient Rome, suicide was expected and never frowned upon.  Fundamentalist Muslims think if they die for their religion a glorious afterlife awaits them.
Hindi and Buddhist believe in reincarnation but I am not sure that is more or less reassuring than notions of a heaven.   The reason I pick Latin America is while they believe in heaven as a means of being comforted in the face of death.  They are also fearful of the judgment and being sent to hell.  This tends to be a mainstream Christian thought.  

I interpreted the question as a fear of death.  Only a suicidal person holds their own life cheaply.  The argument that life is cheap in other countries only means people are willing to kill others.  This doesn't address the killers' personal fears of death.  

On the flip side I would think the most fearless group of people are the Jews of Israel.  If I am not mistaken they have no concept of hell.  They have a waiting period after death to pay for sins before being allowed into heaven.  No eternal damnation.  Retribution for sins will be taken out during the person's lifetime.  

[Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)]

Latin America, more uneducated deeply religious people belonging to a faith that doesn't glorify death. 

Mexico glorifies their dead.

But, I wouldn't take that to mean, Mexicans are think if only I were dead then people would like me.  They respect their dead.  

When I think of glorifying death, I mean when the culture glorifies suicide or martyrdom.  Early Christian doctrine did glorify martyrdom for the religion.  But the church now doesn't see that as such a noble cause.  However, even here in our culture we do glorify self sacrifice of individuals to save others.  For example the solider that jumps on a ied to protest his squad from the blast and ends up dead.  Then is awarded the Metal of Honor.  In Japan and Ancient Rome, suicide was expected and never frowned upon.  Fundamentalist Muslims think if they die for their religion a glorious afterlife awaits them.
Hindi and Buddhist believe in reincarnation but I am not sure that is more or less reassuring than notions of a heaven.   The reason I pick Latin America is while they believe in heaven as a means of being comforted in the face of death.  They are also fearful of the judgment and being sent to hell.  This tends to be a mainstream Christian thought.  

I interpreted the question as a fear of death.  Only a suicidal person holds their own life cheaply.  The argument that life is cheap in other countries only means people are willing to kill others.  This doesn't address the killers' personal fears of death.  

On the flip side I would think the most fearless group of people are the Jews of Israel.  If I am not mistaken they have no concept of hell.  They have a waiting period after death to pay for sins before being allowed into heaven.  No eternal damnation.  Retribution for sins will be taken out during the person's lifetime.  

Jews do not believe in Hell, but I don't think that makes us more fearless of death.  To Jews life is the most important thing of all.  Our philosophy glorifies life and believes that one should always fight to protect and improve it.  As opposed to say Latin America where life is cheap.

[CaL DaVe]

Latin America, more uneducated deeply religious people belonging to a faith that doesn't glorify death. 

Mexico glorifies their dead.

This is true but it is not like we are in a rush to die. I think for the people of the region, it is more of a fear of going to hell that is instilled in them that causes them to fear death. The Catholic religion is very strict.

But once you are dead the people do a good job of remembering you by building alters and making offerings to your soul durring Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead Which is an indigenous celebration dating back to the time of the Aztecs, and modified to fit in with modern culture.

[anarchir]

I dont know where they are most afraid of death because I havent been to or studied the culture of many countries. I can say that it is NOT Mexico. Dia de los Muertos and all that.

[LordMarius]

I'd say the US of A, because that's where you'll find the most religious people. It seems unintuitive, but the religious are way more afraid of death then us atheists. Religious people fear that their unstable gods will put them in the place they'd rather not go after death, us atheists do not fear nothing. 

[Ghost of Alex Libman]

I see fear of death as one of the highest virtues, BTW.  Thus this poll.  Fear of death is the most rational emotion, especially if it drives an individual to do rational things to avoid / postpone death.  As a cultural attribute, it will tell how willing a culture would be to overcome tradition and other irrational attachments, and strive to fight for every second of human life through science.

I think them "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" are ahead of the English-speaking world when it comes to this sort of stuff, and the wealthier Northern Europeans are probably #1.

To Jews life is the most important thing of all.

Then what's up with the mass suicide at Masada?

And traditional use of the death penalty for simplest things?

And all the Russian commies around the turn of the 20th century (90% Jews) wanting to destroy the old world and build a new one, no matter the cost? 

(EDIT: the conversation about that last point to be spun off to the "Jews and Communism" thread to keep this thread on-topic.)