Vicious Cycle

Many humans in the galaxy tried their best to avoid dying. Death was not pleasant, and no one knew what happened once their time in the material realm ran out. The fear of death was such a deep and primal fear to people that it was no wonder that old geezers were willing to do almost anything to gain an extra century of life!

The strong reactions against the prospect of death indicated that human life was too fragile.

Modern technological and societal advances significantly improved the survival chances for average humans compared to when they first evolved, but that did not change the fundamental problem that mortals were too weak in the face of many dangers in the galaxy.