What is death?
Does it mark the end of the life? Should it be feared or welcomed?
Dictionary Definition
death [ deth ]
1. end of being alive: the ending of all vital functions or processes in an organism or cell
2. way of dying: a manner of dying
3. somebody’s dying: an instance of somebody’s dying
Jullien’s Definition
Death is the ending of any commitment, attachment, and agreement.
Death is a process—it’s an ending rather than an end. It doesn’t occur in a moment. In fact, we’re all dying in many ways right now-physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially—but we’re also being reborn in many ways.
Physically, cells and dying and new ones are emerging. Over time, the number of dying cells outpaces the number of new cells to a point where the body cannot maintain itself.
Mentally, old beliefs and assumptions are dying. If they aren’t, then we aren’t growing. We’ve become stagnant and unopen to new possibilities. At that moment, we think we know everything and therefore stop learning.
Spiritually, our death as individuals actually brings us closer to God through our recognition of oneness with every living thing. Many spiritual stories speak of death and resurrection and being born again within one life.
Socially, people and relationships come and they go. My best from elementary school is no longer my best friend today. My girl from college is no longer my girl friend today. Relationships don’t have to end completely, but they often change form as presence and attention shift with time. That change is a death. Sometimes it leads to a relationship with more life and sometimes it leads to a relationship with less life.
Death simultaneously signifies the ending and beginning of life rather than just the end of life. The only reason we see death as an end rather than an ending is because our mind can’t language, comprehend, or understand what happens after the physical body ceases to exist. But we have many transitions or endings throughout life including the ending of dependence on our mother’s milk to the ending on childhood to the ending of our teenage years to the end of our 20s, 30s, 40s, etc.
Death is a natural part of life. Life is the ultimate cycle and death is just a phase in the cycle that continues rather than concludes it. When something dies, something new is able to be born. Currently, 2 people die in the world every second, but the birth rate is 4 people per second.
Steve Jobs put it best in his July 12th, 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech when he said,
[quote] Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. [/quote]
I’m dying to live!
