Life: The Harbinger of Death

Oh, now, now, now, the only now, and above all now, and there is no other now but thou now and now is thy prophet. ― Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls

Death is an inevitability. No one can avoid the tolling of the bell. Yet, it is stunning to recognize how little we speaks about death and dying.

I wonder sometimes if we are collaborators in a collective illusion. Deluding ourselves that if we just don’t acknowledge death it will somehow pass us by. If we just stay busy enough, distracted enough, relevant enough, this ship will somehow pass us.

Impermanence, however, is a fundamental law governing all existence. As they say, change is inevitable. And so it goes, with change comes death in one form or another.

If we take a closer look, we will come to recognize that we experience death time and again within the experience of living. Our growth and evolution, both individually and collectively, are tied to the passing away of one thing for the emergence of another.

Our bodies do not mature and grow without the death of old cells and emergence of new ones. More life-affirming behaviors cannot come forward without the passing away of the old. Our understanding of the workings of the world and our place within it cannot evolve without the letting go of limiting beliefs.

Death will visit upon us all. We can distract ourselves from this truth, but it will come to pass, none-the-less. In being cognizant of this inevitability, maybe we can soften our “death grip” on life, letting go of our feeble attempts to maintain the illusion of permanence.

It is, in fact, our acknowledgement of life’s tenuous nature that best expands our wonderment and appreciation for every moment.

Instead of grasping, we can choose to cup life gently in our hands, with a sense of reverence for the temporal nature of our physical existence. In doing so, we are inspired to bring more attention to every nuance of living, thankful for this precious gift of aliveness that we’ve all been given.