For the ancient Egyptians, death was not the end of life, but simply the beginning of the next phase of one's eternal journey. There is no ancient Egyptian word that corresponds to the commonly defined concept of "death" as "the cessation of existence," since death is simply a transition to another stage in one's eternal existence.
In fact, scholars claim that the modern Egyptian Arabic word for death, al mawt, is the same as the ancient Egyptian word for "mother," clearly linking the experience of death to birth, or more accurately Said to be reborn in the eternal plane.
Once the soul successfully passes the judgment of God Osiris, it enters the eternal paradise-the reed field. Everything lost after death will be returned, and it will truly live a happy life from now on. Although the Egyptians' view of the afterlife was the most comforting of all ancient civilizations, people still feared death. Even during the period of strong central government, when kings and priests had absolute power and the idea of ??a paradise after death was widely accepted, people still feared death.
Throughout Egypt's history, rituals related to mourning the dead never changed significantly and are very similar to how people react to death today. One might think that knowing that their loved ones were on a journey to eternal bliss, or living in heaven, would have made the ancient Egyptians feel more at peace with death, but apparently that was not the case.
Inscriptions mourning a beloved wife, husband, or child—or pet—all express the grief of the loss, how much they miss the deceased, and how much they hope to see them again in heaven one day They - but did not express a wish to die and soon joined them. There are texts expressing a desire to die, but this is to end the suffering of this life, not to exchange mortal existence for the hope of eternal heaven.
In fact, the sentiment prevalent in these ancient Egyptian texts is perfectly summed up by Hamlet in Shakespeare's famous play: "The undiscovered country, from whose birth / no traveler returns, bewildered Will / And make us rather endure those ills we have / Than fly to others we know not” (III.i.79-82). Egyptians love life, celebrate it year-round, and are in no rush to leave it, even for the kind of paradise their religion promises.
The Dialogue between Man and His Soul
A famous literary work on this subject is called "The Dialogue between Man and His Ba" (also translated as "The Dialogue between Man and His Ba") A dialogue between a soul and a man who is tired of life"). This work, which dates back to the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2040-1782 BC), tells the story of a dialogue between a depressed man who cannot find happiness in life and his soul, encouraging him to try to enjoy himself and Make things easier.
This man complained many times that he should give up and die - but he never seemed to think he would find a better life on the "other side" - he just wanted an end to the pain he felt at the moment . The Dialogue is often described as the first written work to discuss the merits of suicide, but scholar William Kelly Simpson disagrees, writing:
What the essay presents is not a debate but a man's life by which The mental picture of evil so repressed that it cannot accept any inherent goodness in existence. It can be said that his inner self cannot be integrated and calm. His dilemma is presented in the form of a dramatic monologue that illustrates his sudden changes in mood, his oscillations between hope and despair, and his almost heroic efforts to find the strength to cope with life. What tires the speaker is not life itself, but his own efforts to find a way to cope with life's difficulties. (178)
As the speaker strives to come to some satisfying conclusion, his soul attempts to guide him in the right direction, to be grateful for his life and to embrace the good that the world has to offer. His soul encourages him to express gratitude for the good things he has in this life and to stop thinking about death because nothing good will come of it. For the ancient Egyptians, ingratitude was the "gateway sin" that allowed all other sins to enter their lives.
To the ancient Egyptians, ingratitude was the "gateway sin" that allowed all other sins to enter their lives.
If one is grateful, then one will be grateful for everything one has and give thanks to the gods; if one allows oneself to feel ungrateful, then this will lead one into bitterness, depression, selfishness , pride, and negative thinking among all other sins. The message of the soul to man is similar to what the speaker of the Bible Ecclesiastes says: "God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few" (5:2).
The man appears to have seriously considered the words of the soul after wishing death to take him away. At the end of the article, the man says: “Surely he who is over there will be a living god / purged of the evil that tormented him…Surely he who is over there will be an omniscient being "(142 -146). The soul has the final say in this piece, assuring men that death will come naturally and that life should be embraced and loved in the present.
The Harper's Song
Another Middle Kingdom text, the Harper's Song, resonates with the same theme. The Middle Kingdom was the period in Egyptian history when the vision of eternal paradise after death was most seriously challenged in literature.
While some believe this is due to lingering cynicism following the chaos and cultural chaos of the First Intermediate Period, this argument does not hold water. The First Intermediate Period in Egypt (2181-2040 BCE) was an era that simply lacked a strong central government, but this does not mean that the ancient kingdom collapsed with the disintegration of civilization. Simply put, this country experienced the natural changes in government and society. Change is part of any living civilization.
It's clear from the chorus that The Harper's Song is closer to Ecclesiastes in tone and expression: "Have a good time/Don't get tired of it/Behold, no man can carry it with him Carrying his belongings/Behold, no man shall come back again” (Simpson, 333). The statement that one cannot take one's possessions into death is a direct refutation of the tradition of burying the dead in graves: all those things one enjoyed and used in life will be needed in the afterlife.
Of course, it's entirely possible that these sentiments are simply a literary device to suggest that people should make the most of life rather than hope for eternal happiness after death. Still, the fact that these sentiments are expressed in this way only in China suggests a significant shift in cultural focus. The most likely reason for this is that the upper classes of this period were more "cosmopolitan," something that the First Intermediate Period made possible, something nineteenth- and twentieth-century CE scholarship has done much to discredit. The collapse of Egypt's Old Kingdom empowered local governors and led to freer speech in different parts of the country rather than following the king's single vision.
After this period, cynicism and world-weary views of religion and the afterlife disappeared, and New Kingdom (1570-1069 BC) literature once again focused on the eternal paradise awaiting death. One of the best evidences of this belief is the popularity of the Book of the Sun (better known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead) during this period. The Book of the Dead is an instruction manual for the soul after death, the guide to the afterlife that the soul needs to reach the Reed Fields.
Immortality
Ancient Egypt’s reputation as a “death-obsessed” person is actually undeserved; the culture was obsessed with living life to the fullest. The mortuary rituals observed so carefully are not meant to glorify death, but to celebrate life and ensure its continuance. The dead were buried along with their possessions in grand tombs with elaborate rituals, as the souls were immortalized once they passed through the gates of death.
While one is alive, one is expected to make the most of the time and enjoy oneself as much as possible. A love song from Egypt's New Kingdom, known as one of the Orchard Songs, perfectly expresses the Egyptians' outlook on life. In the following lines, a sycamore tree in an orchard speaks to a young woman who planted it when she was a little girl:
Pay attention! Let them come with their equipment,
bring all kinds of beer, all kinds of bread,
vegetables, strong drinks of yesterday and today,
and Various fruits are available for you to enjoy.
Come and spend this day happily,
tomorrow, the day after tomorrow,
even three days, sit under my shade.
(Simpson, 322)
Although one does find expressions of resentment and unhappiness in life - as in the dialogue between man and his soul - —But Egyptians, for the most part, love life and fully embrace it. They do not look forward to death or dying—even with the promise of an ideal afterlife—because they feel they already live in the most perfect world.
The reason why eternal life is worth imagining is that people find happiness in this earthly life. The ancient Egyptians cultivated a civilization that elevated each day to an experience of gratitude and divine transcendence, and life to an eternal journey in which one's physical time was but a brief interlude. Rather than anticipating or wishing for death, Egyptians fully embraced their time on earth as they knew it and mourned those who no longer participated in the great festival of life.