Death and the Fear of Death

The reason coins have two sides and not three is because the universe presents us with a lot of twos. Two hands, two eyes, two feet, two nostrils, two ears, I could go on and on...and I will. Until, of course, the day, or night, that I no longer live among you. The time will come when I am no longer available for others to speak with, or at least if they do speak with me, the conversation will be one-sided. I will be, as they say, dead. The dead do not fear death. They spend a lot of time being dead as well. They will continue with that rather dull occupation until the universe of matter and energy runs out of steam, and everything else. The best way to die is peacefully. I have seen this happen many times, to other people of course, but from what I can tell they don't seem to mind dying any more than they seem to mind being dead afterwards. So WHY is it such a big deal. WHY do we fear death so much? WHY do we avoid thinking about it, while at the same time spending most of our living moments avoiding it with all our powers. We must arrive at the answer to this question while we are alive, because answers we arrive at after death are pretty much useless. As are we. Except perhaps as fertilizer. Some Roman poet put it this way, "Dead, we are the lumber of the world." So true. And he also pointed out that death was no more than "the utmost limit of a gasp of breath." So true again. I love poets, and their poetry. Cogito, ergo sum. Well, perhaps. At least sum gives us something to cogito about. If you are still with me, understand the comfort that arises from dying is as great as, or even greater than, the discomfort of living in fear of it. The sensible person lives and loves it, but realizes that it's a temporary condition, and that's all there is to it. A life spent preparing for another life is a life misspent, but the result is the same to the person when they die, because there is no result. The value of life is in the living, and the loving you do while alive. I think the ancient Beatles said that. So, live, love, and die peacefully my friend. And by the way, on the theme of twos, listen to this poem by my favorite poet. She is extremely spiritual and I do not doubt that she believes in the gods in some way, but there is much more in the poem that follows, which is from her dying mother to Edith...

The Two Tides
To E.M.

CHILD,I beheld thee, one night, swept in by the Tide
on this known shore of Being;
Naked thou wert, and unfain to be here, and thine eyes
were averse to all seeing;
Bitter and small was thy first uttered cry, and filled with
unnamed desolation--
Thou, so encompassed by Love and by Joy in their mar-
veling proud salutation!

Child, in thy turn, thou shalt see me, rapt by the refluent
tide swiftly flowing;
All sound shall be stopped from these lips save only the
last sigh of breath in outgoing;
The face thou shalt watch will grow strange, the word
thou wouldst hear--it shall not be spoken!
Then shalt thou sweep the dim seas for a beacon, and
storm the locked heavens for token!

O child, in that hour of the Ebb, left alone on the ignorant
shore, crying, "Whither?"
I charge thee, Remember, naught didst though know of the
Tide that once brought thee hither,
Loath to thine heritage--thou, the darling of Life, whom
the banquet invited;
So much, and no more dost thou know, what awaiteth the
outbound pilgrim benighted,
What sovereignty royal--what dream beatific fulfilled in
Youth's restoration--
What galaxy crowding in welcome--what guest-rites--
what marveling proud salutation!