Death is a topic we usually try to avoid, is not a fun subject to think about or talk about at parties. Is quite a mood killer, don’t you think?
It reminds us of our limited time here. And that’s exactly the reason you should think about it more often. You need the reminder that you are going to die, thinking about that fact gives you clarity and makes you rethink your values and the things that are truly important to you. How do you want to use your time here? how do you want to be remembered? What are things that are important to you and what are the frivols things you occupy your time with?
At some point you have probably gotten asked ‘what would you do if you only had one day/month/year to live?’ most people start naming the things on their bucket list: skydiving/swimming with white sharks/travelling/walking the great wall of china/marveling at the Taj Mahal etc.
Well for one, are these really the things that are most important to you? If so, why aren’t you doing them? Because you’re dying with every breath you take. Every day you wake up you get a chance to do all the things you desire.
Again if you were to die within a year, are these things really the things you would do or would you spend more time with the people you love and value. Why aren’t you doing that now? What’s keeping you from calling your mom, your bestie, your grams?
Thinking about death reminds us not to be bothered by the mundane small things that happen daily. Being stuck in traffic, the store is out of your favorite brand of cereals, you dropped your phone for the 16thtime today, your washing machine is making a weird noise. Would these things bother you if you were on your deathbed?
Death is a good reminder to be present and appreciate where we are at this moment in our lives. It doesn’t matter what happened the day before or might happen ten years from now, it keeps us here in the now.