Remembering and forgetting death

Most of us have no idea when we will die, and so we live with the subliminal belief that death will not come for us. This creates a false sense of comfort. On this plane of existence, life can become rather safe but also stagnate. We just keep moseying on, not really driven by anything but the belief that life will carry on the way it always has. But the reality is that death is all around, ready to pierce this mundane bubble. Buses and cars are driving all around us; meteorites are flying past us; cells are dividing inside us. Death could come from any direction at any moment, and despite our tunnel vision, it could be us who Death chooses.

There are instances where we are given a death sentence: in a prison or a hospital. Does this sense of finality change the way we live? It most probably creates a sense of urgency, and probably a renewed sense of the values we say we believe in. Or maybe it reveals the values that actually govern us, in stark contrast to those which we merely purport.

Can we live a life in between these two sides of the spectrum, living each day thinking that probably we'll live to see another day but maybe not? Both perspectives need to be maintained in order to live life to the fullest. We have to be ever conscious that we will not live forever, and so become grateful for everything we have. But we must also believe that we will continue to exist so that our efforts here on earth are not idle and senseless.

Life devoted only to today is short-sighted; life devoted only to tomorrow is ungrounded.