1000 Years

In my mind every life is a full story. Even in lives that are short, even in the sadness of the loss a full novel could be written about their lives. I have known people I have loved who have passed as children, and even in the devastation of the loss they have no less fullness for the brevity. 

In another way even the very old have lives that are cut short. Many who live to a ripe old age make it clear that they do not have a desire to  die. Others often say that a person who passes in their 50’s or 60’s got to live a full life. I recently watched a video with a man who was 97 talking about his fear of death. Even though the quality of his life was so poor, he wanted no part of death. 

I tend to have the feeling that if a party's no fun I am ready to leave, but I get it. My perception is all fear is fear of death. The deep consciousness experiences change of identity as death. The loss of a job, the end of a marriage, loss of the ability to attract sexual partners, or the loss of capability generally all cause a deep reaction. Even a child who has been shamed on social media experiences the loss of social standing as a very real annihilation.

My teacher taught that even if we were gifted with a lifespan of 1000 years it would still feel just as short. We would say all the same things. It seemed like it went so fast, I feel the same inside, I do not want to die, I am afraid to die… 

A mayfly seems like it has a short life, but it is full. A long life is short. No matter what the age, we will all be gone from this place soon.. Longevity has its place. However, it is not about how long you live, but how you live, and whether you were a source of hope or a font of despair. 

Are you making  this a meaner or gentler place?  This will be over in a blink of an eye. Life and death are two sides of the same coin. We are already dead and we will live forever. Life is both short and very, very long. You have all the time you need and never enough of it. It matters how you die, because your relationship to death frames how you live. There is still time to change the road we are on, even if we die tonight. Choose kindness. Commit to it for the rest of your life. Now.