THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TIME AND DEATH

An exploration into the passage of time and the individual's perception of impending death.

Chaplin offers a wide-ranging meditation on the relationship between time and mortality. He examines how a sense of hopelessness and profound depression often develops with increasing severity as we age. Each stage of human development is characterized by a distinct perception of the passage of time: the receding past, immediate present and projected future. Chaplin considers death to be the ultimate finality, a disintegration into nothingness. The essence of his argument, outlined in the first two chapters, is that hope can enable us to live life to the fullest, even as we develop a conscious recognition of our ultimate destiny, death. This conscious recognition and acceptance ultimately paves the way for succeeding generations to flourish and lead productive lives. Chaplin inserts memorable quotes and poetry throughout the narrative, including the ideas of On Death and Dying author Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Despite the lack of an extensive bibliography, The Psychology of Time and Death is a solid analysis of a topic few are willing to carefully examine.

A deeply-felt journey and a celebration of living, sharpened by an awareness of the constriction of our horizons toward nirvana or nothingness.