On one of my daily morning walks, I listened to a podcast which ended up discussing many aspects of death.
Not so much anything morbid or sad about it, but more towards the amazing creative restriction on life death really is. This was not related to any particular way of dying, but death itself.
It is the restriction on life, provided by death, which gives life and anything we choose to do any real meaning or value. If life was unlimited, if we were immortal, there would be little value in achieving anything, or striving for anything.
Sometimes the view might be that seeing as we are all going to die, why bother with anything?
For me it is the complete opposite. It is only because I know I will die, that anything seems worth striving for or goals hold any importance. It also works as a great filter when choosing what to do with the time available.
Listening to the podcast I realised that I actively spend more time thinking about or being aware of death, than anyone else I know. I find myself engaging with my own death on a daily basis.
This takes two forms.
One is the poster on my office wall, from 4000 weeks.
If you've seen these before, they work like this:
1 - The poster has 4000 squares on it, in rows of 52.
2 - Each square represents a week
3 - When you order the poster, you provide your date of birth
4 - The poster arrives with the number of weeks you've already lived coloured in.
This gives you an immediate visual representation of the life you've lived, and the proportion of the average 4000-week life you've already completed. (I'm past 50%)
This poster is not intended as a single reminder, though. Every Monday morning, the first thing I do is colour in another square - Weekly reminder of progress and time running out.
The second way I engage with my own death is an oversized coin I have carried in my right pocket for a number of years now.
One the one side is written: Momento Mori
On the other side: You could leave life right now
Every time I put my hand in my pocket, I feel it. When I move around, it rattles against coins in my pocket, but sounds different from them. When I am waiting for something, instead of getting my phone out, I take out this coin.
These reminders have a direct impact on how I live day to day. It helps me to keep focussed on what is important to me and the people I care about. I'd say these reminders also have a direct impact on the people I have in my life. I don't have anyone who is an active part of my life, who I don't want there. I simply don't spend time with people I don't want to spend time with.
Every minute spent doing something, or spent with another human being, is just that. It is time SPENT. It is not invested, as you can not get a return on your time. Yes, you get many very valuable things from activities and relationships, but never more time.
I care deeply about how and where I spend my time.
This is not to suggest a selfish, self-obsessed outlook on life or a "what's in it for me" approach to relationships and friendships. It just helps to ensure I do things I value, with people I value.
Whatever you are doing for the rest of today, ask yourself this: If this is the last thing I do before I die, would that be something I would want to do? Remember, in this scenario you don't know in advance that this is the last thing you will do, you have no way to plan for it. (You can take the same view on the last thing you did, like spending some of your time reading my musings.)
Remember Death, and act accordingly.
Not so much anything morbid or sad about it, but more towards the amazing creative restriction on life death really is. This was not related to any particular way of dying, but death itself.
It is the restriction on life, provided by death, which gives life and anything we choose to do any real meaning or value. If life was unlimited, if we were immortal, there would be little value in achieving anything, or striving for anything.
Sometimes the view might be that seeing as we are all going to die, why bother with anything?
For me it is the complete opposite. It is only because I know I will die, that anything seems worth striving for or goals hold any importance. It also works as a great filter when choosing what to do with the time available.
Listening to the podcast I realised that I actively spend more time thinking about or being aware of death, than anyone else I know. I find myself engaging with my own death on a daily basis.
This takes two forms.
One is the poster on my office wall, from 4000 weeks.
If you've seen these before, they work like this:
1 - The poster has 4000 squares on it, in rows of 52.
2 - Each square represents a week
3 - When you order the poster, you provide your date of birth
4 - The poster arrives with the number of weeks you've already lived coloured in.
This gives you an immediate visual representation of the life you've lived, and the proportion of the average 4000-week life you've already completed. (I'm past 50%)
This poster is not intended as a single reminder, though. Every Monday morning, the first thing I do is colour in another square - Weekly reminder of progress and time running out.
The second way I engage with my own death is an oversized coin I have carried in my right pocket for a number of years now.
One the one side is written: Momento Mori
On the other side: You could leave life right now
Every time I put my hand in my pocket, I feel it. When I move around, it rattles against coins in my pocket, but sounds different from them. When I am waiting for something, instead of getting my phone out, I take out this coin.
These reminders have a direct impact on how I live day to day. It helps me to keep focussed on what is important to me and the people I care about. I'd say these reminders also have a direct impact on the people I have in my life. I don't have anyone who is an active part of my life, who I don't want there. I simply don't spend time with people I don't want to spend time with.
Every minute spent doing something, or spent with another human being, is just that. It is time SPENT. It is not invested, as you can not get a return on your time. Yes, you get many very valuable things from activities and relationships, but never more time.
I care deeply about how and where I spend my time.
This is not to suggest a selfish, self-obsessed outlook on life or a "what's in it for me" approach to relationships and friendships. It just helps to ensure I do things I value, with people I value.
Whatever you are doing for the rest of today, ask yourself this: If this is the last thing I do before I die, would that be something I would want to do? Remember, in this scenario you don't know in advance that this is the last thing you will do, you have no way to plan for it. (You can take the same view on the last thing you did, like spending some of your time reading my musings.)
Remember Death, and act accordingly.
Pieter K de Villiers
You can read my mind here!
You can read my mind here!