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.