Death in life: a writer’s perspective
This year I have seen three elderly family members pass on. Two of my great aunts and also my grandfather on my mother’s side. Last year it was my grandmother . . . I realize that in the midst of life, there is a constant flow of death, but I think the focus is typically on life in death. As in, life after death. Stopping to consider the value of death itself puts an interesting perspective on life.
When someone we know and love dies, the world around them is either greatly impacted through their absence, or not. Personally, I find this to be the primary concern where death is considered.
When we die, what sort of hole will we leave behind? Will it be a poisonous well, or a spring of blessings to our families and our society?
I suppose you can add a third alternative, which of course is to leave behind nothing. To not be missed. To have made no lasting impact. To be really and utterly forgotten. A sad condition. Not only for the departed soul but for those who are left behind.
Legacy is everything. Our children will die. Their children will die. Unless you are an Alexander the Great, a Leonardo DaVinci, a Joan of Arc, or a master of Psalms like David, or a renowned man of wisdom like Solomon, the following generations will not remember you.
While it is true that legacy is also passed through our children (I consider my children to be such) it is also less about me and more about my values. The values pass generation to generation with proper teaching and strong love.
But, profoundly, we cannot speak with our loved ones when we have died. Death is the impenetrable barrier. It is only after one is dead that we miss being able to converse with them. Fascinating isn’t it?
There is one blessed group of people for whom this is not true. While the rest of the world dies and is heard from no more, the artists continue to speak. Their paintings stir up conversations and their writings speak for them long after they are dead.
This is what writing is for me. My words to the generations that will follow. My perceptions to make them consider, my convictions to challenge them, and my love to strengthen them. When I die I will have a legacy that I cannot put a price tag on.
This is the value of Death in Life. We live and we see death, and death reminds us to make a lasting impact on those who will follow us.
Q: What are your thoughts on death? Does it motivate you to leave a legacy?
