The Inevitability Of Death

Life. Death. There is a strange irony here, a paradox of sorts. Death defines life. Full stop, carriage-return-line-feed. If it wasn’t for the experience of death, we would not have boundaries to define the exquisite nature and beauty of life itself.

Death is a reality that we all must face sometime in our lives. It will take place around us, in friends and loved ones and acquaintances and family. We will watch it happen to our icons and our trusted role models and our enemies if we have them. It is something that, if you live on the planet long enough, will enter your world. As the saying goes, there are two things that you can guarantee in life – taxes and death. Death knows no boundaries, Democrat or Republic, Christian or Muslim.

Sadly, it can take a death for many of us to fully realize the beauty that is our own life. It brings a focus on the power of love for those around us, something that can be lost at times in the reality and distractions of our day.

Once again, I was reminded of the fragility of our world and our tenuous hold on that which we call life. In its sadness, and in the memories that are surely stirred up within, I was reminded of the importance of – now.

Over the past few weeks, death has crossed my path a number of times. Three times, to be exact. It wasn’t just people that I had become acquainted with over the years. These were all people that I had spent quality time with in the past, people that I had created memories with, people with whom I had been privileged enough to share life. One of these people was my age, one younger, and one older. Death knows no boundaries for age either.

My reason for writing this isn’t so much as a requiem or obituary or such. I am not trying to shed some bizarre light on a morbid topic. It is more about a celebration of all things that define life, above and beyond death.

“Life” is defined as -

the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.

“Life” is also defined as -

the course of existence or sum of experiences and actions that constitute a person's existence

Within these two definitions, we are faced with some important thoughts. Growth. The power of adaptation. Changes originating internally. The sum of experiences and actions. A person’s existence.

Those things all sound like personal power to me. Creating a world of our own making. One moment, one action, one experience, at a time. The power within. Self-responsibility for the moments that we call the here and now, that fade into memory as but a glorious remnant of our past times.

As the Tragically Hip sang in “The Inevitability Of Death” (with its references to Canadian hero Terry Fox) –

But I thought you beat the death of
inevitability
to death just a little bit
I though you beat the inevitability
of death
to death just a little bit

The inevitability of death, perhaps. But the beauty of life is left for us to create. Daily. Now. Without fear or remorse. And the sooner we realize this, the better.

May you rest in peace, gentlemen. I am thankful to have shared your journey, and deeply saddened to see you go. Just know that the world, my world, is a better place having had your presence.

Photo credits: abesselink