The Funny thing about being human,
We all know we're going to die,
But we act as if we're going to live forever.
In fact,
We spend a lot of time and energy,
Whether we realize it or not,
Trying to avoid this reality.
In his book,
The Denial of Death,
Ernest Becker wrote,
The irony of man's condition is that the deepest need is to be free of the anxiety of death and annihilation,
But it is life itself which weakens it,
And so we must shrink from being fully alive.
It's only when we become familiar with our death,
And not just intellectually,
That we can unlock a state of greater awareness of our own aliveness.
It can lead to higher levels of well-being,
Better decisions,
And an overall sense of meaning in who we are and what it means to be here.
But it's not comfortable.
Our minds don't want to go there.
This is not an education that we have from the time that we're born and often until the moment where we take our last breaths.
And this is why we practice contemplating our death.
It helps us work through these fears and allows us to feel more alive and embodied,
More present and connected.
So for today,
We're going to practice a simple death contemplation.
Take a moment and just imagine that you have reached the end of your life.
Where are you?
Who is there to honor you?
What do you feel you have left behind?
And now,
With all of that in mind,
Think of the problems in your life today.
All judgments aside,
Problems big and small,
Spend the next moment.
What are these things that we call problems?
Does thinking about your own death change everything?
Imagine when you're ready in your own time,
Let all of that go.
And before you step back into your day,
Remind yourself of just how very much alive you are.
