Death
The time hath come. Long have i waited for this day, this significant day on which to unveil my darkest post yet. this day, that would send all who believe in silly superstition scuttling back to the void of narrow-mindedness from whence they came. this day, that has come so naturally, so perfect, i will keep you in suspense no longer. i do hope you will pardon the lengthiness, for it has been a while and my fingers are itching. Death beckons this Friday the 13th. dare you follow?Everyone knows what death is like. i am certain not one of us has not experienced the loss of a loved one at some point in time or another. we are all familiar with the monocoloured attire of black and white, the peaceful hymns that make people cry, the rite of passage as the beloved passes from coffin to ashes, and the awkwardly silent journey to the final resting place. but it takes more than just spectator experience to fully grasp the concept of death. i can tell you how death is part of the cycle of life and whatnot, but i'm not so boring as to repeat things most people already know. i cannot offer you the real thing either, else i would not be here. all i have to offer is but only one side of a die, and all i can hope for is that you will find it useful.
So what exactly is death? why do we fear it so much that the very thought can drive us over the edge of sanity? why do some of us quail before it, while others can stare it in the eye? the answer to that lies in the direct opposite of death. firstly, death is the absence of life. it is the ultimatum that marks the end of our sojourn in this mortal coil. it is also unevitable. in fact, death is the only certainty in life. money will rot, memories will fade, but death keeps coming back, because it has existed ever since the first living cell came into being, and will exist until the last living being draws its final breath.
With so much finality surrounding death, it comes with little wonder that people fear its immensity. they fear its power to end life, its judgment at the end of all things, its ubiquity. they fear it because of the same reason humans fear all other things: they do not understand death.
A teacher i know once worked as a prison warden. i remember him telling me that when the prisoners were on their way to the gallows, they had to be dragged like little children. in fact they were not so different from toddlers. they cried, they screamed, they struggled, they even lost control of their bladders and rectum. the fear of death reduced hardy brutes that could crush bones like matchsticks into pathetic, frightened cowards.
But how? and why? the reason to that lies in life. they fear death because in life, they did not achieve their true goals. they would never make their first million, nor would they feel the joys of parenthood, nor travel round the world, nor experience the laid-back life of old age. and that can be more terrifying than anything else in the world, because once opportunity stops knocking, the silence can be unbearable. to me, the loss of possibility is far greater than any torment. another reason people fear death would be the reluctance to leave life, because they are holding on to material needs. wealth, fame, power, all these disappear with the passing of time, so there is no use clinging on to it. you only add the unnecessary burden of death lurking in your mind.
Now, you may be wondering what all these has got to do with understanding death. ah, it has everything to do with understanding, because the further reason behind the fear is the inability to comprehend the reason for death. as paradoxical as it sounds, death is not a death knell, but a wake-up call. it reminds us of our mortality. most in a situation when death calls would give up and resign everything to the finality of death. so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for us to decide. all we can decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. and what we should do is to sort out what is really important in our lives. it may be calling up all those friends you lost contact with, or ironing out some differences with your family, or even trying something you have never tried before, like mountain climbing or sky diving. some people have always wondered why mountaineers are so reckless as to place their lives at risk. i think they don't go up there to die. they go up there to live. because that is what's important to them. only by understanding the simple truth that life and death is not so much worlds apart than being separated by a line as thick as the end of this sentence, can we really appreciate the real meaning of death.
A friend told me that the only limit to the human body is death. there is a lot of truth in that. if something is truly important to you, then nothing short of death can stand in your way. so do the important things in life. after all, you only live once. and even if you can't, the most that can happen is that you die trying.