Human Life: What If There is No More Later?

The uncertainties of life are highlighted by the certainty of death. What if there is no more later?
We don't want to die. We can cope with the inevitability of death by putting it aside and disregarding it, or by accepting it and allowing it, at least in part, to shape our life. The latter is better because that way we can actually be more involved in our life while we are living.

“I will see you sometime soon.” “I will attend to that another time.” “I will make it someday.” “I will save those for later.” But, what if there is no more later?

Facing death is part of being human. A very intriguing paradox of human life is its uncertainties are highlighted by the certainty of death. “Someday” we will die, and in the midst of our thoroughly active life, completely captivated by pursuits of discovering, achieving, and becoming, we go through life as if that “someday” will never come. Though we know that death is inevitable, we tend to behave as if we don't believe that we are actually going to die. We accept but we don't truly believe until we have an experience that reveals the reality of death in human life.
People who come close to death, through near-death experience or death of someone close, may find themselves looking at the face of death. Through this rare experience, they feel the truth of an eventuality, different from just knowing it, just like a breaking news on food shortage is different from the vivid visualization of hunger and famine. When the reality that we all die is suddenly transformed into our consciousness that we can die anytime, death unveils itself at staggering proximity.

When we die, we cease to exist in this world. All the things that we set aside for later will remain undone. We can no longer plant those seeds that were meant to dress up our garden with a colorful mix of blossoms. We can no longer bake the peanut butter cookies we promised to make. We can no longer read that bestselling book we planned to read. We can no longer see the college friends we intended to visit. We can no longer forgive or ask to be forgiven. We can no longer share and give. We can no longer hug and kiss.

We don't want to die. We can cope with the inevitability of death by putting it aside and disregarding it, or by accepting it and allowing it, at least in part, to shape our life. In Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie, one of the conversations of Morrie and Mitch went as follows:
Morrie: Everyone knows they're going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently.
Mitch: So we kid ourselves about death.
Morrie: Yes. But there's a better approach. To know you're going to die, and to be prepared for it at anytime. That's better. That way you can actually be more involved in your life while you're living.
Morrie also told Mitch that “We're so wrapped up with egotistical things, career, family, getting a new car, fixing the radiator when it breaks – we're involved in trillions of little acts to keep going. So we don't get into the habit of standing back and looking at our lives and saying, Is this all? Is this all I want? Is something missing?”

Recognizing death compels us to be careful not to live the “wrong” kind of life. It draws us to assess our life and change course if necessary. It makes us reconsider our choices, our goals, and our undertakings. In his Commencement Address at Stanford University on 12 June 2005, Steve Jobs, who died recently, said: “Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Recognizing death is a wake up call to focus on the essentials. Morrie has said: “So many people walk around with meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

The value of our life depends on its contents. Many of us pack as much as we can into our life, but we are so inclined to prioritize material things over human relationships. It is true that material things can contribute a lot to making our life pleasant, but if we do not have people who truly matter to us, life will be meaningless and material things become clutters that diminish the quality of our life. Morrie suggested that we: “Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a little community of those you love and who love you.”