Last week I discussed the seven deadly sins. This week I want to talk about death. I have always wanted to die peacefully. I believe my husband wants to die with some vibrato. My son asks weekly if we must die because he wants no part of that nonsense.
Often death is the most defining moment in a life or at least can be the impetus of a legacy. My great aunt Theresa died of TB at age 16 – beautiful, young, and cut down in her prime — forcing a crazy grief on her mother that notoriously had her say to my grandmother, “I wish it was you that died.” Theresa lives on through this vicious insult, a sweet 16 picture, and a few family children bearing her name.
What will be your legacy?
This couple, Jean and Scott Adams, comes to mind as people both living and dying bravely. Would they have desired something as newsworthy and dramatic and horrifying as this legacy? Probably not. They seem like private people on a private, big mission. Yet their death reflects their life in my opinion.
Will your death reflect your life?
Death is cool because it is the reason for living. Without death we could all just: save for retirement, get a safe job, live in a safe neighborhood… because you know – WE CAN GET TO LIVING LATER ON.
I wish there were more discussions about death in society because I think it would make people lead better lives.
But we are terrified of death so we don’t look at it. And therefore we can live our lives like we’re going to live forever. Death isn’t going to happen.
I like ironic deaths:
The guy who bought the Seagway falls off a cliff on his new investment.
The guy who didn’t eat a piece of bread his whole life and convinced an entire society to do the same cracks his head on the sidewalk.
And then that show… A 1000 ways to die… all those ways to go are cool too.
The way you go, while sometimes entertaining, shouldn’t be the only symbolism of what you thought your life was supposed to be. The trail of your life has to be that symbol.
There’s a song on the radio right now: Everybody dies but few people live.
I like rambling on and on about this because it gets me excited about how I’m going to “live” my life. 🙂
Good post! Keep the death coming.