Every day we wake up, brings us a day closer to our death.
So why are we so fearful of dying?
Why do we continue to take our lives for granted?
Death is a constant in all living things. We are only on this earth for a limited amount of time and have to make the most of it. But we get in our own way and let fear drive us. We are scared of our own death, those we care about dying, and the unknown. We fear death because we know very little about it. We do not know when our time will come, how we will pass, if anything happens after, and what happens to those we leave behind. We do not allow ourselves to be curious and ask these questions to those older than us.
Whenever I am surrounded by death, either connected to me or not, I begin to wonder -
Why are these people no longer here?
What makes people decide to end their life?
Why did they have to pass now?
What happens after we die? Is there an afterlife?
How does the body decide that it is tired of fighting?
To find answers to our questions, we can reach out to those who are near the end of their lives. Our parents or grandparents have an interesting perspective on this idea. As we age, we stop letting our fears paralyze us. We begin to realize what is important to us and how we want to spend our time. We no longer get caught up in the trivial things. We finally start living our lives authentically, honestly, and fully.
But why do we wait so long to live with intention?
We are unaware of what matters to us. It takes our experiences to help us grow and learn about ourselves. During school, we are focused on our classes and social circles. As we transition into adulthood, our perspectives change. We understand what it takes to sustain ourselves and how we want to live our lives. We focus on maintaining relationships with family, friends, and most importantly ourselves. This is when we begin to prioritize and live in ways that bring out the best in us. We will make mistakes, but we will always learn from them and become better for it.
When we understand that we can direct and change our lives, this is when we are fully living. This is when we can look outside of ourselves and embrace all of who we are. We all can achieve our goals, we just need to believe that we can. It is uncomfortable for us to be individuals and not follow the pack. But when we find strength in ourselves, we no longer need others to validate us. We become comfortable in our own skin and can focus on our own pursuits.
Our time on earth is limited and we have to remember that. We can no longer procrastinate with our own lives. We have to start actively making the changes that we seek. We can not be afraid of failure or what might happen. We can surprise ourselves. Instead of asking the question, what could go wrong, we should ask what could come from this opportunity? When we make the switch in our minds of no longer living in fear and putting our problem-solving skills to use, anything is possible.
Why fear death, when we have so much life to live?
