does the thought of death sadden or scare you?
while most people consider the loss of anyone to be a tragedy, death is really just a necessary part of life.
as a matter of fact, without the death and evolution cycle of life on earth, humans would not even exist….
nature needed to go thru the creation and destruction of trilobites, blastoids, spiny sharks and therapsids, among others, before the first mammal even appeared on this planet, and it was close to another 200 million years before that little rodent spawned our more direct ancestors, of which there were many.
if not for death, homo sapiens might be sharing earth with homo erectus, neanderthals and denisovans, along with all the other “human” species who have ever existed, not to mention all the dinosaurs!!
which brings us to the practical issue of space for everyone…. not to mention resources, like food and water.
nature has a way of regulating these types of things, with reproduction dropping off if resources become tight, but then a community will stagnate, since each new generation brings new mutations, new ways of surviving and new strengths to the species.
death is a way to encourage new growth and new experiences, which is why it was built into the circle of life….
you’re born, you live, you die, and then you repeat that over and over again in different forms.
see, at its core, everything that exists is simply made up of energy, of atoms, and sub-atomic particles, and whatever smaller bits scientists have found…..
when a physical body dies, whether a tree or a squirrel, or a human, those atoms are released as the body decays, sending that energy back out into the universe to be reused in something new.
and that’s pretty awesome, if you think about it……
nature designed all life with an expiration date, to make sure that energy exchange kept going, creating new life and new experiences thru millions and millions of years.
of course, that expiration date varies wildly, with some creatures only living for a day or two, while others may get hundreds, or thousands, of years in one body.
but the amount of time you get isn’t as important as what you do with that time while you’re here.
the vast majority of creatures on earth have no knowledge of their own mortality, so they just live life.
while they are smart enough to avoid danger, when possible, and they recognize when a friend fails to do so, they don’t anticipate or fear their end, like so many humans do.
the human ego – that “big brain” we all love so much – is highly aware that someday it will cease to exist as it is right now, and that thought is absolutely terrifying to most human minds.
but it is extremely important to recognize that fear as irrational, since death is not something anyone can avoid, and there’s no point in fearing the inevitable.
it would be better to try to see the gift inherent in each new day, no matter how miserable your life may seem at the moment.
knowing that this life, with all its hardships, joys and possibilities, is simply a temporary state of being can help you to free your mind of all those “oh so serious” thoughts, plans, emotions and fears that stress you out so much.
live each day as if it’s your last one, because someday it will be.
you were designed that way.
peacewillow's perspective 