Death is something that is universally scary. It’s something we all must face. Oddly enough, Death, and the limit it places on Life, is what gives our time on Earth value. This doesn’t take away our fear though.
The idea I set forth today is meant to be a tool to face Death with strength and courage. It’s not about having no fear, but rather, being ready to face it when it comes.
The idea stems from the view that Life is a gift. It’s not ours. We didn’t do something to earn it. It was given and now we have the opportunity to do what we want with it. However, we know full well that we won’t have this gift forever. Someday, we must return the gift to wherever it came from. That scares us.
If I was told today that I would die tomorrow, I would be terrified. Like I said, Death is universally scary. But there’s another aspect to it. I would feel a great sense of missed experience. My first thoughts would be, “I still have countries to see, a girl to marry, kids to raise, help to render, games to play, organizations to build, and family/friends to love.”
This is the crux of the idea. How can we return this gift of Life without clinging, struggling, hating, or crying? Here’s the answer. Use the gift. Use the gift of life to its fullest extent. Exhaust its possibilities. Do all that you can for yourself and others. Discover what you believe and stay true to your morals. Don’t sleep it away. Speak up when needed. Say ‘no’ when ‘no’ needs to be said. Don’t be a coward. Instead, act as the hero we are all meant to embody.
The idea is that by living a full life, exhausted to its core, we will be able to return the gift with peace and satisfaction when our time comes. We will know that we gave every ounce of our being. We will know we have nothing left to do. The knowledge that we pursued every dream and faced every fear is what will allow us to meet Death with our heads held high, proud of all we accomplished. We don’t know when our time will come to an end, but it’s never too late to start living.
If you have an opportunity, take it. If you have talents, use them. Help others as best you can. Travel if you want. Love your family. Laugh with your friends. Live for the story.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a lot to do before I’ll be ready to give this life back. I don’t want to leave anything on the table. I better get to it. As Andy Dufresne once put it so eloquently, “Get busy livin, or get busy dyin.”
Reaching Life’s end only to realize we never truly lived should be a fear that lights a fire under each of us.
So, what will you do today?
There is no absolute proof to this idea, but it’s fairly convincing nonetheless. It goes as far back as Socrates. Socrates was found guilty in court and was given the option to leave the city or die (for his crimes of educating the youth). Socrates famously did not leave and instead accepted death. He had lived a full life. He was ready to die because he knew he had done what he was meant to do. He was then able to meet Death peacefully on his own terms. Almost 2000 years later, we still remember his name.