The Puranas refer to the cosmic cycles in which the creation (thanks to the god of Brahma) and destruction (god of Shiva) of days and nights of Brahma occur. These cycles of creation and destruction of the universe are entirely independent of one’s moksha. It is not possible for a human being to end their own cycle of birth or death through their developing wisdom and or devotion to the god(s). The aims for humans beings are as follows, Dharma which is the discharging of one’s duties, Artha which is prosperity and power, Kama that of which sensual pleasure and the appreciation of beauty stems, and the ultimate goal of humans, moksha, the liberation from this cycle of birth and death.
Each day of Brahma is approximately four thousand earthy years that of which is then split into fourteen secondary cycles of creation and destruction that are called manavantaras. It is these manavantaras that make up each of these cosmic cycles of roughly three hundred million years. During these intervals between manavantaras, the world is recreated so that a new manu, otherwise known as a primeval man, can begin the human race all over again. It is at the end of these cycles, that the entire cosmos is “drawn into the body of Vishnu or Shiva where it remains until another Brahma is evolved.” Each of these manavantaras are subdivided into seventy-one maha yugas (great eons) consisting of four eons of themselves; Krta yuga age, Treta age, Dvapara age, and the Kali Yuga age. Throughout these ages morality, righteousness, life span, and human satisfaction all decline. The Krta Yuga is considered the golden age where dharma is pictured as a bull that is standing on all four legs. With each declining age, the bull loses one leg; in the Treta age the bull is standing on three legs and so on down the ages until the last and worst possible age in which we are currently living in that been around 3102 BCE.
This ENORMOUS cycle of evolution and devolution can be feared while also being worshipped because in a sense we can only hate the things we love. While we are stuck in this everlasting (or what seems to be cycle of life and death, we can only also love this cycle due to the fact that the only way out of this cycle (moksha) is to be in the cycle. The very outcome Hindus so hopefully wish to attain, is the same outcome that can only be achieved by (in a sense) playing along with the god(s)’ game.
Death is not something that can be reasonably feared due to the fact that while one is alive, they are alive and not dead so therefore death is irrelevant to them because they are alive. And when one is dead, they are dead and therefore death is also irrelevant to them because they are dead. The same sort of concept goes for the cycle of creation and destruction. While you are alive and living out your dharma, no need to fear what comes after destruction, seeings once you have made it, destruction will either not effect you because you have reached the state of moksha, or destruction will not effect you because you will have been reincarnated into another cycle and without the awareness to realize you are once again in the cycle.