If there is a beginning, there must be an end. Conversely, if there is no beginning, there must be no end. This seems like a simple truth, yet it remains one of the most enigmatic ideas we can reflect on.
The most profound application of this paradox is the question of life—more specifically, birth and death. We often ask ourselves: Is death the end of life? On one hand, we must accept that death marks the conclusion of life. On the other hand, we contemplate the possibility—perhaps even the hope—that death is not the end. But how should we understand and accept this mystery?
Life, Death, and the Fear of the Unknown
It is natural to say that life has a beginning and an end. Life begins with birth and ends with death. Yet, our self-consciousness resists the notion that death is the absolute end. There must be something beyond it. The question of existence after death is deeply enigmatic and has been one of the key motivations behind the formation of religions throughout human history.
In our daily lives, we unconsciously hold two contradictory beliefs: that life will continue as it is, and that it will inevitably end one day. We witness the passing of family members, relatives, friends, and even strangers. In an instant, we are confronted with the undeniable reality that we will never see them again. The finality of death forces us to face the concept of eternity—an incomprehensible void. We struggle to process this reality, and in doing so, we are reminded that one day, we too will leave this world and never return.
Faced with this impossibility, we cannot help but ask: Where are they now, those who have passed away? Are they in heaven? And if so, where is heaven? Is it a place that can only be reached through death? Can we still retain our sense of self in this afterlife? These questions haunt us, and apart from religious or supernatural accounts, there is no certainty.
Where Were We Before Birth?
One way to approach death is by considering birth—an event that seems less fearful in comparison. If there is an end, then there must also be a beginning. If death exists, then birth must, too. It is a certainty that we will all experience death one day. Likewise, it is a certainty that we have all experienced birth. We could not exist without it.
So, just as we question where we go after death, we may also ask: Where were we before birth? While we fear losing our self-consciousness in death, we do not seem to fear its absence before birth. In a way, our sense of self was not something we originally possessed; rather, it was something we gradually developed. As newborns, our consciousness was vague. We fear losing what we have, but we do not fear what we never had.
Ultimately, our fear of death stems from the unknown—an uncertainty that unsettles us. We fear disappearing into something we cannot grasp. Yet, birth is the opposite: if death is a movement from the known to the unknown, then birth is the movement from the unknown to the known.
The Journey from Unknown to Known to Unknown
Thus, our journey follows a pattern: from the unknown to the known, and back to the unknown. If life represents the known—a realm where we possess a clear sense of self—what, then, is the first unknown? And what is the second unknown? Are they the same or different? If they are the same, how so? If they are different, in what way?
At birth, as a newborn, we had not yet formed our self-consciousness, but we existed. Before that, we did not yet exist—we were merely a possibility. That possibility became reality, and slowly, our consciousness emerged.
Can you recall the very first experience in which you were aware of yourself as “you”? That moment marked the birth of your self-awareness. As we grow from childhood to adulthood, this sense of self strengthens, and we fully enter the realm of the known. Life becomes vivid, tangible, and real.
Yet, in this very realization, we also become aware of life’s finiteness. The clock is ticking. One day, surely, we will leave this world. One day, surely, we will lose our sense of self, dissolving back into the unknown.
The Metaphor of the Ocean and the Wave
It feels as though we are losing ourselves forever—just as we have lost those who passed before us. Our existence, which once took shape in the universe, will return to its source. From the vastness of possibility, we emerged into the world of time and space, only to dissolve once again.
A fitting metaphor for life is that of a wave in the ocean. On the ocean’s surface, waves rise and fall in constant motion. Each wave forms briefly, just as we do in life—an individual existence, distinct yet temporary. Then, the wave dissolves back into the ocean.
The wave may fear its end, wondering where it will go. Will it reach heaven? Where is that place? But the truth is, the wave simply returns to the ocean, which was never separate from it.
The journey from nonexistence to birth, to life, to death, and back to nonexistence follows the same pattern. We, as individual waves, arise from the vast ocean and return to it. As children, we did not notice that we had become waves, but once we realized it, we struggled to maintain our form. Yet, a wave cannot remain static. It is destined to return.
So we might ask ourselves: If the wave is temporary, perhaps it is merely an illusion—something momentary and partial. Perhaps our true self is not the wave at all, but the ocean itself. The ocean has never changed, despite the waves that rise and fall. It remains vast and infinite, untouched by the temporary.
Realizing Our True Nature
Beyond our individual self-consciousness as separate waves, there may be a greater cosmic consciousness—the eternal ocean.
Once we recognize this truth, we will no longer fear losing ourselves. The wave was never meant to last, but the ocean endures. Even in this present life, we can recognize that we are not isolated, unstable, fragile waves. We are the ocean itself.
In this realization, we understand life, birth, and death. We no longer seek heaven as a distant, unknowable place, for we see that it is already here. Even in the transient waves of this world, we can glimpse the eternal ocean of heaven.
Image: A photo captured by the author.
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