The Inevitability of Death Must Inspire Us To Learn to Really Live
We all know that death is inevitable eventually. This reality is one that is not always easy to hold in our consciousness. So much harm is done, however, in attempts to deny this fixed truth. If we deny the reality that life is not infinite and live as if it won’t ever end we can become so complacent that wasting time and/or letting time pass us by is all-too-easy to do. Living life this way, or rather, failing to live an active and fully-engaged life mindfully and radically accepting that one day you will die is tantamount to cheating yourself out of the inspirational life lessons that the reality of death seeks to teach us. This is one of the ultimate paradoxes in life.
The inevitability of death must be held in our awareness. We must keep it somewhere in our active and engaged consciousness so that we can let it motivate us to learn how to fully live. This is a lesson that is best realized experientially over the course of one’s life. It is not a lesson to wait to fully understand or to try to master. That is a recipe for letting life just pass you by.
Facing and knowing and living with the awareness of the inevitability of death, in your life, paradoxically will provide you with the freedom to take more risks. Choose what you decide to risk wisely. Do not be afraid, however, to take reasonable risks. To be alive requires risk. We risk each and every day of our lives whether we are consciously aware of this fact or not.
If you can break out of the fear of acknowledging the reality of mortality you will be surprised at how much more grateful you will become and be for all things that unfold in your life.
Life, or more specifically, the quality of it, must never be judged by what appears to be the sum total of how it is perceived. That is taking life for granted.
Life is larger and much further-reaching than our moment to moment perceptions of it. Living life requires active participation in the quest for the finding and experiencing of purpose, promise, and passion.
Let the inevitability of death inspire you to live a questing, open, mindful, aware life in which you take nothing for granted. A life in which you are one with God or your Higher Power. A life that is faithful and spirited. A life that with gratitude at its centre is accepting of the paradox of sadness and joy, the paradox of suffering and surrender, the paradox of turmoil and peace. A life that fulfills the ultimate purpose it is intended for in such a way that you do not return the gift of your life un-opened.
I want to fully open the gift that my life is in and through all of its rich paradox. I want to live my life with gratitude. I know that I need to surrender more of what I cannot control and stop abdicating responsibility for what I can control in and about my own life. I am responsible for all that I experience in my life. I will fully engage life by being mindful of the reality that one day I will die. I will let the inevitability of death ensure that I live my life to the fullest in my own individual way each and every day.
© A.J. Mahari
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