Thoughts
About Death
“Remembering
that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help
me make big choices in life. Almost everything—all external expectations, all
pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the
face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”
Steve
Jobs
I’m
traveling today with friends up to northern Indiana to be with our mutual friend
while his ventilator is turned off. My first response when asked if I would
come to see him off, to be a witness to his death, was, “Why on earth did I
answer the phone?” Everything in me, every cell, wanted to cling to the
illusion that life goes on forever and that I, myself, am here for the long
term. That is the claptrap the ego-self spouts. I will not live forever. None
of us will. Death is a reality of life, and a necessary part of it. On the Gecko
& Fly website, I found this quote: “Death, as sad as it may be, is
perhaps the most beautiful thing ever created by God.” It is essential to make
way for new life. The truth is that we die little deaths nearly every day; they
are meant to prepare us for the final one.
“The
ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions
and their answers would determine whether they would continue their journey in
the afterlife. The first question was, ‘Did you find joy?’ If yes, the second
was, ‘Did you bring joy to others?’” (Gecko & Fly) I wonder how you
would answer those questions. How would I? Perhaps we still have work to do on this side of the veil.
My friend
loves rock music, the louder the better. I once showed up at his house
unannounced and found him vacuuming in his undershorts with Led Zeppelin
blasting from the cd player. He lived full out and I think he’d prefer to leave
this world that same way. “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the
goal is to create something that will.” (Gecko & Fly) Let us all live
so full and wild that death will simply be another gateway on our long, long
journey home.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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