Death is and has always been a difficult topic for many of us to bring to voice. There's a certain awkwardness that arises everytime we speak of death probably because it is universal, and each one of us read our lives into death. Everyone relates to death in one way or another; the loss of a loved one, a friend or even someone we do not know personally. Death seems like the ultimate thief; it takes away those whom we all treasure, and it leaves us in the utmost despair of helplessness. To understand death, we have to understand life. Life is very much like a moving train- its fuel the breath you take, and each one of our trains lead different tracks and stop at different stations. A good piece of advice; nothing is permanent. Every vehicle will run out of fuel and shall find reach its final station.
Death takes many different images in our lives, but how we look at it never changes. We all succumb to the same thought- "What would've or could've been?". Because death does not have a scent, nor does it take sight, it strikes in the most unlikely hour and takes us by surprise. Death forces us to not just see things, but to look at them, to look at them closely. The things we will overlook if death does not come to our doorstep. The question we all need an answer to; must we learn to look only when something as big as death is posed right in front of our eyes? Funny how everything else that we've worked for seem insignificant when death proceeds. Love, money, fame and almost everything does not measure up by then. The most cruel thing death does to a person is robbing everything away from him but leaving the stories behind. Stories that must be continued, only in a non-verbal manner. These stories are how we all find ourselves in the same place and asking the same question "What would or could've been?". When the main character of the story is gone, we read it and realise the gaps that weren't filled with elements that would've made it a fairytale. Truth is, death isn't the end of the story. Death is a beginning of a whole new chapter in the same story, we just find ourselves unable to move on. Most beginnings are simple, only this time we're forced to start on a different note. We've all questioned ourselves about life after death has happened. The chapters that follow death, a blissful read or not, depends on how we look at the death chapter.
Each chapter is a parable that is authored by experiences and emotions. Death is the experience of being in the dark and the emotion of being afraid. It has such a strong influence to keep us in the dark. To see the light again, it takes courage to step out of the darkness and most importantly the courage to believe again. There is a need to know that death takes so many things away, but it doesn't take away hope. It dampens hope; it doesn't kill hope. To hope again is hard, but not impossible because hope is what we all have since the beginning. If one is able to do this, he'll see himself in a whole new light. The changes that were brought upon by death are blessings in disguise. The whole point is not about death; it's about life. Ultimately, life is the main idea, and death being a small segment of it. To live is one of the rarest things in the world; most of us exist, that is all. As said, your life is a moving train. Don't let it wander aimlessly or merely exist. Steer it well to the final station. Realise and live.
"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."
"When you learn how to die, you learn how to live."
"Don't let go too soon but, but don't hang on too long."
- Morrie Schwartz
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