So what’s the best thing about death? Our favorite thing about it?
Not absurd! Despite that probably being your first thought .
The best thing about death is that we know it’s going to happen.
That is such a game-changer. (It really should be a game-definer, but we’re not there yet.) And it literally cannot be said about any other aspect of life.
We. Know. It’s. Going. To. Happen.
There’s nothing in else in life we are 100% sure is going to happen.
So with that knowledge, that certainty — it would be a plausible preoccupation of ours to plan for it a bit! As well as have a peaceful acceptance of it, lack of anger and bitterness about it, and inclination to celebrate a life well lived (no matter how brief, even) over painful repudiation.
Of course losing someone we love is terribly painful, sad, and life-changing. That is not up for dispute. But we make it worse by thinking it shouldn’t have happened. Too soon, too young, too quickly, too tragically — all can be true if we believe that death should only come at old age, and ideally in our sleep without suffering.
There’s simply no evidence that death comes fairly. Not ever, not anywhere, not in any context. Why oh why do we keep wishing it were so, and being upset when it so reliably comes in painful ways? That’s the very nature of our mortality: unpredictable. And yes, often also terrible.
Yet that is the truth of it! Our railing against reality doesn’t serve us in any way at all.
We’re just nuts. We could be having such peaceful acceptance of our mortality, joyful celebrating of our own and each others’ lives (and not for nothing, saving so much money) if only we embraced our mortality instead of denying, ignoring, or taking a woeful approach to every death.
I have so many thoughts about this. It’s a psychological and existential conversation. And it’s been going on for time immemorial, no doubt. Have we made any practical progress on that inquiry?! Lol, not much.
It intrigues me to no end. I intend to keep going on the topic. Hopefully in a more upbeat way. But I wanted to start bringing it up. Contemplating and embracing our own eventual demise can only help us live better, I can’t help but believe that.