Picture this: You were at your doctor for an appointment and you were told that you only have 6 months to live. Boom! And just like that your life turned upside down. What was supposed to be a routine checkup turned out to be a life-changing event.
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This is absolute and you can do nothing about it. How would you react? Of course, you’d be in denial at first. Who wouldn’t be? After the shock has passed, what then? What’s the first thing you’re going to do? How will you break the news to the people close to you? But most important of all, how are you going to spend your remaining days here on earth? Would you be wasting it away angry and frustrated or savor it day by day?
Sorry for bringing up the “D” word but this is a good exercise because a person that knows his or her time is up would want to make the most out of his remaining days. Then, you would know what’s important to you. You’ll be able to realize the things you regret. The facet of your life that you failed in. The relationships you forgot to nurture. The dreams you wanted to accomplish. The things you wanted to do but didn’t. Asking the ultimate question, did you really live the life you wanted?
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This is particularly relevant in this day and age. Many people “unconsciously” believe that they are going to live forever and forget that we live on borrowed time. I mean, yes, we know that everybody dies but we don’t actually believe it – until it befalls you, or anyone in the family. This is especially common in social media. These social platforms seem to give people licenses to hurt each other. Families and friends have impersonal relationships and tend to only interact online but on a physical and personal level. Is this really how we want to live our lives? When you think about it, these people would probably change if they knew they are going to cross the great divide soon.
I want to touch on this subject since this way of thinking changed how I perceive life. My girlfriend then, now my wife recommended me this book (Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom) and it totally transformed how I discern things. Morrie, the central character in the book, was dying but had no regrets in life. It was in stark contrast with the author, who used to be his student, who was living his capricious life. Not until he met with his teacher again, for what apparently became his last lesson with his mentor, Morrie.
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This book really opened my eyes. I now live with a purpose. I now have great appreciation for the small and genuine things in life. I learned to be appreciative of what I have, to love and take care of the people who are important to me, and to try to live the life that I want for myself.
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Living ain’t easy and so is dying. One cannot be without the other. But… there’s a much better way of having a better grasp of it. If you “actively know” that you could die at any given moment, then maybe just maybe, you would pay more attention to how you’re living your life and actually be engaged in every aspect of living. Just like what Morrie says, “When you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”
Source: PixaBay
