Death should not be feared, but instead be acknowledged as part of life.
Life is such a fragile existence. From the moment we are conceived, we are hopefully slowly dying. I have had several people in my life recently lose uncles, and soon to be father-in-laws; not forgetting a recent patient death that has also reminded me of how fragile life can be.
None of us are guaranteed our next breath, but we hope that we have many more years on this planet. When I traveled on Semester At Sea (http://www.semesteratsea.org/), I was able to see how different cultures deal with, and look at, death. Here, in America, we seem to be afraid of death, but do we really need to be?
It is scary to think one day that we will not be here, and yet the world will continue to go on. For a lot of us, our legacy is our family, our children, and who we had the privilege of touching as well as being touched by. We have to go so that the next generation can take our place. We are not forgotten by the people who knew us, loved us, and felt our love. I often think about my grandmothers. One I knew, but the other I had never meet. They both influenced me in different ways, and because of them I am here, and are also influencing the lives of others.
To me, death is not something to fear. What should be feared is not living life to its fullest. As I’ve said before, you only get so many times around the sun so living each day to the fullest and embracing life, rather than fearing death, should be paramount.
This video, put together by Life Eternal, is a great reminder of the beauty of life and death. Please take the time to watch the video, call the ones you love, and tell them how much they mean to you.