Voldemort and Death in the HP Universe

[cunning_spirit]

No: HPFGUIDX 112980

Unlike RL, the WW in Rowling's Harry Potter novels does indeed seem to possess a 
measure of evidence that there is some sort of survival after death. 

The wizards are confident enough in this matter as to fund "state" research into the 
phenomena.  In OotP, when Harry is suffering from Voldemort's attempt to possess him, 
he actually begs Dumbledore to kill him, so that at least he would see Sirius again. This 
sounds like Harry certainly believes that death isn't the final chapter. 

Why then is Voldemort so afraid of death? Unlike us, he is from a society that is 
comfortable dealing with phenomena such as ghosts, beasts you can only see if you've 
directly perceived death, and veiled gates into the beyond -- why is he so squeamish as to 
consider death the ultimate affront?