It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth — and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up — that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.
This week has been a rough one for the City of El Paso. Several deaths have transpired and although normally these fatalities would simply be chalked up with the rest of the statistics and slowly forgotten, the deaths that occurred this week have effected the community, especially us young adults, in a way that no other event could have caught our attention.
What makes these tragic events so grave is the fact that the victims have all been exceptionally young. Their youth, combined with the fact that they were well known and well loved within their communities created a mass effect of shock, immense sorrow and the realization that our days are never promised and always numbered.
It is important to pay homage to death by celebrating life and as the general public mourns for these young adults, one is faced with several questions about their own mortality and the directions of our lives. I have been in this very position before and made some very drastic changes in my life when my ex-boyfriend, the love of my life and first love passed away due to alcohol poisoning. It was an unexpected death and made me realize how fragile our lives truly are. Soon after his passing, I asked myself some very deep questions which made me take a hard look at myself and prompted some very intense self analyzation. I used this blog as an outlet for my thoughts and eventually put those thoughts into action.
Here are some philosophical questions to ask yourself which may ease the sting of death and can help you celebrate and appreciate your own life:
- What do you want out of life? What are the steps you are currently taking to obtain the life you want?
- If you are not currently taking any steps toward the life of your dreams, what can you do today that will get you moving towards that goal?
- What’s behind the sense of “I am”? Who’s living, and who’s facing death? Who or what are you, essentially?
- What have you become? What are you becoming? Are you satisfied with this?
- What is missing in your life? What are YOU missing?
- What does your life express? What is your life an expression of?
After answering these questions, think hard about the missing pieces, if any. It is important to remember that tomorrow is never promised. Live a life that is worthy of rememberance and you will never truly die.
Related Articles
- New Healing (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)
- Finding Hope and Renewal in the Face of Tragedy (psychologytoday.com)