There is not enough open discussion on death. As humans, we tend to avoid pain and seek out pleasurable conversations. Talking about death makes people uncomfortable. Maybe because it’s such an unknown. If only we could peek at what it was like then maybe we could rest a bit easier knowing what happens after the lights go out. But what happens if we got that peek and it increased all of the anxieties and fears you currently have about death?
Uncertainty, fear and the unknown can live anywhere you let them. Doubt can creep in without a warning. I’m not asking you to be fearless. This isn’t going to be about storming the gates on a bareback stallion with a spear in one hand and shield in the other to conquer all fears. It’s about asking yourself why you live in fear of death?
Have you not contemplated your own death?
Start.
Are you afraid of death?
It’s not your choice.
So many of us carry worries around like luggage through the airport, dragging all of this excessive stuff alongside us which doesn’t serve us. The truth is YOU will die.
When will death arrive? Who knows the answer to this – only the universe. So many people that have come before you, hero or villain have died and no matter the excessive fame, fortune or disgust they’ve left behind, they are now gone, all in the same category, league or world of those who have passed.
You are no different. Soon your time will come. Don’t waste time wondering when.
Marcus Aurelius said – “you could leave life right now, let that determine what you do, say and think.”
Don’t over-complicate this very simple yet important message. It’s a message that you should keep with you in every moment. If you could go out, how would you choose to if you could? Don’t you want to start living your life this way?
There’s a photo that hangs above my desk of a flower which represents life, an hourglass which represents the time on earth and a skull which represents mortality. I see it every day while I’m working and it serves as a nice reminder that life is not infinite although most of us walk around like it is.
We make plans, God laughs.
Epictetus had a quote where he said: “as you kiss your son goodnight, whisper to yourself, he may be dead in the morning.”
Many people’s initial reaction to a comment like that would be something like, “oh no, that’s so morbid.” But if we take a step back and examine where he is really coming from, we realize that what he means is that it is deeply important to be present in that moment and eternally grateful for the gifts in front of you because nothing lasts forever and time decides all fates.
It is only when we can begin to dive into the reality and certainty of death, that we can open up and find a new world of appreciation. Lean into mortality, except it and discover the endless power it gives you right now so that you do not look back on your life and say, I wish I would have thought about this sooner, I wish I would have prepared myself for this. It is coming whether you want it to or not.