Why death shouldn’t be taboo and chaos shouldn’t stop you
We watched the movie Theory of everything on a Saturday night and it hit so harder than we expect. Maybe because of the challenging times we all go through with health, hearing more about death, and juggling our ambitions through them. It made me think about what triggers fears and sadness at times like this. I scribbled my thoughts on my journal as I watch the movie because I wanted to go back to it and think deeper later on and maybe share it with everyone else.
Life is always uncertain. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. But it is rarely reflected in the way we all navigate through life. Death has become a word we avoid at all costs. It’s considered an unfortunate and unhappy event of life. During this pandemic, death has come into the picture very strongly and we are reminded of the uncertainty of life. It tempts us to question our beliefs and readiness for our own death.
Regardless of our belief systems and spiritual journeys, we all wish to be peaceful in our minds and not panicked when death arrives. But who knows, what will cross your mind in your last moment? By default, thoughts are speedier than light and ever-changing based on what we see, hear and feel. They are very unstable by nature. This, and avoiding talks about death when it’s an inevitable truth about life makes death a hard-to-swallow pill.
So what should we do? We have to practice our thoughts. This doesn’t mean you have to give up all your ambitions, be lazy and just wait for death to arrive. Acknowledge the fact that there will be an end to your journey of life. If you panic when you think of that, then look at your thoughts and figure out what triggered the panic. It could be the materialistic things, or your unfinished responsibilities, people you don’t want to leave behind and etc. When death arrives, it will not wait for you to finish your responsibilities, it won’t let you take all your wealth with you or your loved ones with you. Once you have acknowledged that start living with that understanding, working to be the best version of you every day. Also, knowing that your journey is individual is a great way to remind yourself about the nature of life be ready to be gone, peacefully.
“If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ll be right. Every morning I looked in the mirror and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I do today? ” — Steve Jobs
Death doesn’t have to be something we fear or avoid talking about. It can be the driving force for us to be better in what we do and be better in being human every day. Acknowledging that there’s an end to everything, will make us more grateful for the present moment.
If there’s life, there certainly will be death. But also,
As the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu says, when you no longer panicking, you will start seeing opportunities in chaos and when you seize opportunities, they will be multiplied.
Going back to the movie, this is what we have to learn in between the chaos and uncertainty of life:
Stay safe! ❤️
☕️ As a writer living in Sri Lanka, I don’t have the option to join Medium Partner Program. So if you find this article helpful, Buy me a coffee.
