The First Reality :
The problem of existence
Insecurity of life
Out of all the animals in the world it is the human animal that is aware of its own existence and also aware of its unpredictable but certain impending death. Anyone’s entire life is devoted to a futile struggle to avoid this unavoidable death. Everyone celebrates births and laments and moans about death. They fail to realize that birth and death are the two ends of the same continuum called life. They live their lives as if they were going to live forever. Death is certain and life is uncertain. This is the insecurity of life.
From the time a baby is born it is suffering, this is why the baby cries. The baby soon begins to realize the insecurity and weakness of life and hopes to be secure and strong when grown up. After growing up one begins to realize that the insecurity becomes even worse.
As an adult one struggles to make ends meet, all one’s life, till ageing and sickness set in. Things get even worse then. The struggle to survive continues till death.
The first reality that the Buddha pointed to was this insecurity of life. Life is insecure because of the impending, unpredictable death that can come to any individual young or old at any age, at any time. This insecurity is seen very clearly when we look at the animal world. Each animal lives by making other animals their food. Even the herbivorous animals eat living plants. Human beings do the same not only in eating but even in the normal ways of earning a living by competition and exploitation. If the nature of life is this, there is sufficient room to question the common belief that a loving God was the Creator of this life.
Even modern existential philosophers have pointed to this insecurity of life that brings about anxiety, worry, fear, and all the kinds of anguish. All religions that hope to receive eternal life and eternal happiness in Heaven after death are ultimately attempting to solve this same problem of existence.
This pursuit of Heaven, which can be verified only after death, is based on the assumption that death is the opposite of life and not a part of life. Some have pointed out, however, that birth and death are merely the two ends of the same stick called life. This means death is a part of life and not the opposite of life.
Mankind has from the beginning of history made an effort to remain alive without dying, despite the obvious fact of death. This struggle to exist was an impossible struggle. It was not only futile, it was also painful, and it was also based on the delusion of eternal existence.