Sunday, July 22, 2018

How Death Teaches Us to Live Fully

Too many deaths in the recent days reminded me that no one is promised a tomorrow. Their stories though painful reminded me of essential lessons in life.

The first lesson was from a young boy I didn’t know personally but whose death made me shed buckets of tears. I witnessed his battle and journey of bravery through his Facebook page which was regularly updated by his mom. Through him, I learned that death is a celebration of life- a well-lived life. It was hard to imagine the life of a young boy who fought cancer since three years old only to lose it at the end. However, through his positivity, he was able to transcend his pain and inspire others.

There are days when we wake up that our hearts are anxious about how the day would go not fully realizing it might be the last day of our life. How do we really live fully?

The second lesson was from the tragic death of a family of five. Five souls perished in a split second while they were on the way home from a vacation. The father and four daughters died instantly in a car crash leaving the mother as the only survivor. The heartbreaking story reminded me that every second of life is of infinite value. Living life to the fullest is tough because it is scary to make mistakes. However, these can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. The fragility of life, the fact that it could be taken in a split second, reminded me to live life fully.

The last lesson hit me the hardest because it came too close- the death of our loving neighbor who showed me nothing but kindness. Though we were told of the looming news several months ago, the truth was nothing that could prepare you for it The world seemed to stand still when I read about her passing. She was a beautiful person in and out that will be surely missed.

The question about death has motivated the most arduous efforts of philosophers. But, the reality of death lays plainly with the bleakness of the grave. Death is ultimately inevitable. As Hemingway said, “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”

25 comments:

  1. I suddenly feel frightened. Thank you for sharing this it made me realize that yeah...death gave us many lesson too..

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  2. Over the last year I've lost three family members and it definitely does give you a new outlook on everything.

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  3. Inspirational article. Yes death teaches us a lot, we should love our life fully.

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  4. Very powerful post. I lost my Grandad to cancer when I was very young, it was truly heart breaking. But we must carry on and live a good life. Thank you for sharing! Rach

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  5. Without death there is no reason to live. That's why the time flies and why we are attached to not die too quickly. Really nice article. Thanks for it!

    Ben - www.nutrition-newage.com

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  6. Death most definitely teaches us a lot. Love every day as if it was your last.

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  7. Thought provoking write up. Living life to the fullest is what matters. Death is certainly a celebration than.

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  8. We live like there is no death! But it is waiting for us. Can come any day, without any notice...

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  9. Death is part of life. I see it as the ending of a great novel. It's ok to fear it but one must celebrate it too.

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  10. Very true. Whatever you want to do in life, there's no better time than doing it now. Life is temporary and can end anytime

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  11. It is beautiful that you have found a small glimmer of hope with the deaths you have been around. Thank you for sharing this and reminding me that each moment is precious.

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  12. Thank you for sharing, death is truly inevitable. Yet I fear death for the things I haven't done yet. But reading this has taught me to cherish every moment of life with the people I love.

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  13. Loss of our loved ones is too difficult to bear. The loss teaches us a lot !!

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  15. I can absolutely relate with this. As I read this post, tears rolls down my eyes because I have had a personal experience. I was close to the end but somehow; I am still alive. This is has been my motivation, and a reason to keep pushing. I feel like if I die without touching or blessing enough souls. It's a waste.

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  16. I agree.... Death is on our side always..... So we really have to commit on living fully that is with purpose....

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  17. This is a great post and very timely for me. I lost a friend - age 32 - to cancer this week. I feel so bad for the ones she left behind yet celebrate all the great she did with her life.

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  18. I agree, it is always great to learn from a sad or traumatic event. Death has many lessons.

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  19. Death can teaches that life is too short to enjoy things! Great post.

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  20. Nothing helps you understand the fleeting beauty of life more than death. Nothing helps you understand what is important in life more than death.

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  21. Some fear death, however if you live a full life, you should not be afraid. Afterall, death is part of the life cycle.

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  22. I dont fear death but I do fear dying without making things right. Doing something that might have hurt someone and not even knowing, not being able to make it right and dying is my biggest fear

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  23. Death teaches us that even though tragic, there is some good with it -- especially with the "every second of life is of infinite value." bit.

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  24. I do not fear death! What scares me the most is the death of a love one. I don't know how I will ever survive when that time comes.

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  25. I fear death very much, mainly because I'm scared to leave my daughter behind at a young age, I hope I die when I very old. But I should stop fearing and instead live my life fully because we all have a time when we're suppose to go home.

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