The Bell: Mortality - Donne Today

Survey: Modern Concepts of Mortality

On April 10, 2000, eleven students in the English 451 class took a survey on mortality in today's society. Here are the results of that survey:

1. I feel that people in today's society have a good sense of their own mortality.

On this question, four people strongly disagreed, three people disagreed, and four people agreed. While the class leaned towards disagree, it was not by much. Those that disagreed commented that people often do things that risk their life without thinking. Others said that people just don't think about their own death until someone they know dies, and their own death is too unexpected to think about. Others commented that the quality and length of our lives due to health food, medical science, and age reducing make-up fool us into thinking we will never die. People often are too focused on material things to stop and think about their own mortality.

Those people that agreed stated that everyone knows they will die (with the exception that younger people do not believe they will die until they are old). Other students suggested that cancer, AIDS, violence, the media, and the movies have caused people in society to think about their own mortality.

2. I feel that people look at death seriously and gravely in today's society.

With this question, once again more people disagreed with one understrongly disagree, seven people under disagree, three people under agree, and one person under strongly agree. Those students who disagreed stated that video games, television, and the media desensitize society's feelings toward death. With death constantly being treated lightly (as in video games), those students who disagreed felt that people do not look at death seriously.

Those people who agreed commented that society takes life seriously because of the violence in the media. Other students suggested that the products for sale on the market are an illustration of society's serious treatment of death.

3. I feel that most people believe there is some form of afterlife in today's society.

Ten out of eleven people agreed with the statement, with one person not answering the question. One person quoted that they had learned that 90% of all people believe in some form of existence after life on Earth. Most people mentioned that the number of churches and religions in today's society is proof that most people believe in an afterlife. One person commented that they could not answer for anyone but themselves, and they were not even sure.

4. I feel that many people worry about their fate in the afterlife in today's society.

With this question, three people agreed, two people strongly agreed, four people disagreed, and two people were undecided. Those that agreed stated that people liked to feel assured and want a pleasant afterlife. Others commented that the moral decline of society and the moral standards of religion have left many people wondering about their place in the afterlife. One student stated that the number of books on the subject is an illustration of society's concern for their fate in the afterlife.

Those that disagreed stated that people do not think about the afterlife until they are dying. Others stated that people are too wrapped up in their own lives or have the "I don't have time to worry about it" attitude.

Overall Comments

Except for the comment about whether or not most people believe in an afterlife, the class had a hard time reaching a consensus. It seems that the class's views vary when it comes to how society views mortality. While the class agrees that most people believe in an afterlife, the class disagrees about how people view and think about this afterlife in their daily lives. One conclusion that may be drawn from these results is that in modern society, mortality is not as urgent and widespread a concern as it was in Renaissance society, since opinions on the topic vary so much. The group has decided to create another survey to ask each person in the class their views on their own mortality. The new survey answers will be compared and contrasted to the answers in this survey.

1. I feel I have a good sense of my own mortality.

On this statement, one person disagreed, four people agreed, and three people strongly agreed. One person who agreed commented that they actually "long to embrace the never-ending sleep." Others who agreed said they don't always take their mortality into account in their actions, while still others said their own health problems and others' problems have led them to understand their own mortality. The one person that disagreed said that they often forget the "big picture." Interestingly enough, when compared to the first survey, the results are the opposite. While people in the class feel that other people do not have a good sense of their own mortality, they feel they themselves do.

2. I look at death seriously and gravely.

On this statement, two people disagreed, four people agreed, and three people strongly agreed. Those that disagreed stated that they don't worry about death a lot because it does not touch everyday life. Those that agreed commented that disease and reckless behavior (people thinking they are invincible) causes them to look at death seriously. Other people stated that while they looked at death seriously, they were not afraid of it. Compared to the first survey, once again people viewed the way they felt as atypical for society. Most people disagreed that society looks at death seriously; however, most people felt that they did themselves.

3. I believe in a form of afterlife.

On this statement, three people agreed and five people strongly agreed. People commented that they were sure there was an afterlife, but they were not sure what it was like. Other people commented that death could not be the end of it all; there has to be something more. This question strongly correlated with the first survey. Overall, people believe in an afterlife, and they believe other people do so as well.

4. I worry about my fate in the afterlife.

On this last question, three people disagreed and five people agreed. One person that disagreed stated that they did not worry because it is a matter of faith. However, another person disagreed because they were not exactly sure what was going to happen after they die. Three people that agreed commented that they were good people, but with strict religious standards, they were a little worried. One person said that since everything that lives must die, it can't be that bad, but they were still a little worried. Also, one person commented that they were sure God has set up an afterlife and that they will get there; however, they also bring up that they want to get there on the first try (indicating that there may be more than one try). Compared to the first survey, these answers correspond. The reaction to this comment was split in the first survey, and is split (in similar numbers) in this one.

Overall Comments

It seems that on the issue of mortality and the gravity of death, people do not feel that their own beliefs are shared by the majority of society. However, on questions of afterlife, our respondents not only all agreed that there is one, they also all agreed that the majority of society believes likewise. In Donne's time, most of Europe was Christian (though by his time, after the Reformation, there were already numerous branches of Christianity) and so most of society would have held Christian views on the afterlife, while in our time, the variety of answers on the last question show that there is great variation in what people believe about the afterlife.

AIDS and Mortality

AIDS has become a present-day plague that has caused people to think a little more about death and their own mortality. People think about how they are going to die and when they are going to die, and I think I can safely say that people do not want to die from AIDS. AIDS has made people more aware of what they do and with whom they do these things. Dying is inevitable, yet a lot of people do not think about death in the sense of what could happen right now. They think about death in the sense and context of being old and dying naturally. But AIDS has made people realize that death could be closer than they want to accept. People with AIDS have to think about death, and their mortality is always in the corner of their minds. By looking at a few of the websites below, you can read about how some people are living with AIDS and how they are feeling about knowing they are going to die. You can also read about AIDS and read stories written by real people dealing with this plague.

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