Death is a topic that we often avoid or try to pretend does not exist until we are faced with the reality. Many people are so afraid of death that they never really live and this occurs in various forms.
Some of us never take risks because of the chance we might die – taking a reverse psychology tactic. Some of us exercise obsessively fooling ourselves into believing that it is for our own health and good denying it is because of a fear of death. Some of us eat a certain way in hopes of living longer. In so many ways our fear of death is masked by the belief that we are doing things for self-improvement or for a general good.
Now, I am by no means saying that we should go crazy with risky behavior or not exercise and eat well. Not at all. However, I am saying that perhaps we need to re-evaluate why we do the things we do and consider if it can be better balanced so that we are fully living without fear of the end.
For me death has always been a welcomed event in life. I believe it is just part of the world we live in like the changing seasons or passing weather. Life, death, joy, sadness – these are all here and part of us. There is no fear in death for the one who has died for they are gone. The fear lies with the living and for what reason?
We, as humans, worry a great deal. We worry about having money, clothes, food. We worry about our status, what others think of us, our purpose in life. While to some extent we do need to concern ourselves with these matters to co-exist in this world with others, I also believe that we do not need to expend so much energy on worrying.
Instead, I believe we need to focus on living. If we are living life fully, happily, and in a balanced way then we should not fear death for when it comes we will be able to say that we have had a great life. If I am sad for those who have died, it is because I feel sad that they may not have lived as full of a life as they could have.
When my grandparents died, they were of a full age and had so many stories to tell. Their children were grown and they lived to spend time with their grandchildren. I think they had full lives. If my own parents were to die, I would mourn, but I would also feel as if they too have lived full lives already.
If I were to die today or tomorrow, I would not be sad for the life that I could have lived, for I believe I am living life to the fullest now. It doesn’t mean that I live extremely and we know that I care about what I eat, my health and I moderately take risks. But, I am satisfied. I do not fear my death nor those around me.
Life comes with death – until that moment comes, let’s enjoy the gifts we have been given. π
~T π
