Interacting With Death
Life is an Oxymoron
There is Life in Death
Think about the last conversation that you had today. Maybe it was with your colleague, friend, or family.
Now, what if that conversation was the last time you ever to speak with that person.
Losing contact is a regular occurrence without you even realizing it. We fall out of contact with people as time passes, and sometimes we also lose the people we care about deeply.
Maybe it was a high school friend that you last spoke to many years ago, or an old work mate.
Sometimes it is people that are emotionally close with you and you may have never thought you could go for a month without having a conversation.
How would your conversation change if you knew it would be the last time you spoke with them.
Would you be more respectful, more compassionate, more understanding?
You never know if you are seeing that person for the last time, or if they might be seeing you for the last time. The brevity of life and relationships means that one day, you too will disappear.
One Day, You are Going to Die
You could have another 20 years, or you could have another 20 minutes. The thought of death likely brings many emotions and reactions to mind, but does it make you feel more driven?
There are two significant elements about death that helps us put life into perspective
The fact that you will die means you should treat every moment like it is precious
The fact that everyone you love will die means that any problem you are facing right now is probably not the worst thing that can happen.
Our minds wander to think about the past and the future and how it could have been better, was or will be better, but when we forget the frailty of life, we do not live in the moment
This is it
The present moment is all we have, so treat it with respect. Live in the moment and feel the uniqueness of every second as it passes.
So What Do We Do About it?
If you knew that this would be your last conversation, your last meal, or even your last breath, how would you feel? How would you spend your time?
You would likely savour every moment. Everything would seem exciting and intriguing to you. The things that appeared average and common before, would seem beautiful and sacred.
So there lies the contradiction, it is death that brings us closer to life.
I understand that there are people who would prefer not to live by choice, which is truly devastating.
For those people, seeking help is often not something they consider. It is hard to think of other people when one is suicidal, which is why the act is considered selfish.
Checking in on people and their emotional state by asking "are you okay" can be a great help, but this is possibly a topic for a different article.
The point is that life is too short to hold grudges. Life is too short to be wasted entirely by distractions. Life is too short to treat people with disrespect.
What would life look like if we all interacted as if it were the last time.
