Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes
- "The Cobbler of Preston" by Christopher Bullock (1716)
December 2nd, 2021
Let each thing you would do, say or intend be like that of a dying person.
Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes
- "The Cobbler of Preston" by Christopher Bullock (1716)
While death is certain for all of us, how often do we contemplate our mortality? In my life, there is a specific type of person who feels comfortable talking about death. That is someone who has experienced death.
My uncle was such a person. As child, I only remember he was young and reckless. He continued his wild ways until he had a stroke at an extremely early age. He survived the stroke, but was unable to speak or write as a result.
This was not however, a barrier for him to communicate. I remember visiting him when his mom (my grandmother) passed away. His near death experience had changed him in positive ways. He was no longer afraid of death and actually was comforted by the thought of dying. He had renounced his wild ways, his view of life was simplified until his death a few years later.
It was difficult to understand how powerful my uncles new-found perspective of life was at the time.
As time passes, the hour glass of life feels like it is draining faster. When I reflect on my uncle, his view of life stands out now. How do we come to accept a perspective on life like my uncles without experiencing some life altering event? Prayer? Reflection? Meditation?
We might not be able to have a profound sense of mortality without a near death experience, but my hope is that daily prayer, reflection and meditation will strengthen my view on daily life. We can't afford to be ignorant to the reality that we are dying a little more each day. Just like there is no love without hate or joy without sorry, there is no life without death.