Death

Despite being the most natural thing there is, death has been an endless source of inspiration for philosophers, religions, cultures and artists throughout history. It remains an intriguing mystery; not because we don't understand what death is, but because it's something we can't truly experience and report back on. For a species so centered on solving problems, death is the ultimate one.

The current vibe of my readers, who came for something uplifting to shed their Monday blues.

Reflecting on death is an effective way to understand life. Mortality gives shape to our existence; for an immortal being, concepts such as youth, urgency or a retirement plan would be meaningless. Time, our most precious currency, only has value because it's in limited supply.

Death is all around us. Without it, we hardly would have any entertainment either. It's our most powerful tool for creating drama and excitement in films and literature, and you can only win a game if there's a way to lose it, too. For some, risking their lives is the only way to experience the highest of thrills: without the danger of serious injury or death, extreme sports wouldn't be very extreme.

An eternal life is a life without meaning. And yet, many of us seek it. A rich guy named Bryan Johnson has made his entire life about prolonging it (which I hope he at least enjoys doing), and of course, we have a full menu of religions to choose from which also give us the promise.

Or threat, for that matter... but more on that later.

These days, this is still one of the biggest "beefs" I have with the religion in which I was raised. It's difficult to explain to someone who's never faced it, but as a True Believer, you see life only as a short prologue to what God has planned for you. 

It dilutes the value you give to your "earthly" existence, and can even turn grief into something perverse. At my father's funeral, I was greeted by some of the attending Free Church members—Dad's brothers and sisters in faith—and I still remember their smiling, joyful faces. They were happy because my dad was now in Paradise. Happy because he was dead. It made me feel sick to my stomach, as I had already let go of my faith at that point. And let me tell you, dealing with mortality is one of the most difficult parts of that process.

Death is to be feared. It's only natural, in the way that evolution has rigged our brains to avoid it. But it's also a crucial part of life, central to everything we do and are.

We all have our own ways of dealing with mortality. Personally, I no longer feel anxious about my own inescapable demise, although I might worry about the reactions of some of my loved ones when that day approaches (which is, hopefully, a significant distance away still).

Perhaps my favourite quote on this subject comes from Epicurus, who is credited with saying: "Why should I fear death? If I am, death is not. If death is, I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?"

With that, I wish you another beautiful week. Memento Mori, but let's not overdo it.