LIVE FOR NOW. Thoughts on Mortality

Someone posted about feeling anxiety about their mortality, even though there is no indication it will be soon. Here are some words on mortality from a wide range of men and women and books throughout the years. I think they also can be applied to any symptom from TMS.


“I thank my God for graciously granting me the opportunity of learning that death is the key which unlocks the door to our true happiness” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Austrian composer.


“For three days after death, hair and fingernails continue to grow, but phone calls taper off.” – Johnny Carson (1925-2005) American television host, comedian.


“The years seem to rush by now, and I think of death as a fast approaching end of a journey – double and treble the reason for loving as well as working while it is day.” – George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) (1819-1880) British novelist.


“Death is one of the few things that can be done as easily lying down. The difference between sex and death is that with death you can do it alone and no one is going to make fun of you.” -- Woody Allen (1935- ), American movie writer, actor, director.


“Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you’re scared to death.” -- Earl Wilson (1907-1987) American author, journalist.


“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” – Marcus Aurelius (121-169 BC) Roman emperor.


“The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” -- Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist, actor.


“It is better to spend one day contemplating the birth and death of all things than a hundred years never contemplating beginnings and endings.” – Gautama Buddha (563-483 BC) Indian founder of Buddhism.


“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” – Jerry Seinfeld

(1954- ). American actor.


“Death is the beginning, the birth of births, a rebirth, a second chance to fix all mistakes, Death is the beginning.” – Marc Lampe (dates unknown, author).


“Death is but the next great adventure” – J.K. Rowling (1965- ) British author.


“Fear of death increases in exact proportion to increase in wealth.” – Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American author.


“I look upon death to be as necessary to our health as sleep. We shall rise refreshed in the morning.” – Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American patriot, author, printer, inventor.


“Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.” – Socrates (469-399 BC) Greek philosopher.


“I have good hope that there is something after death.” – Plato (424-348 BC) Greek philosopher.




“Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies or the cost of their funeral.” – Francois-Marie Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer.


“If you brood about disaster, you will get it. Brood about death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.” – Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) Indian philosopher, yoga teacher.


“Once you accept your own death, all of a sudden you’re free to live.” – Saul Alinsky (1909-1972) American writer, community advocate organizer.


“Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.” – Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German theoretical physicist.


“I am not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” – Woody Allen.


“She did but dream of heaven and she was there.” – John Dryden (1631-1700) British poet.


“Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life… If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.” – St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) Spanish Carmelite nun.


“Death, the last voyage, the longest, and the best.” – Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938) American author.


“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” -- The Holy Bible.


“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” -- The Holy Bible, Romans 6:23.



“Wither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.” – The Holy Bible.


“In order to go on living one must try to escape the death involved in perfectionism.” – Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) German-American philosopher.


“We sometimes congratulate ourselves at the moment of waking from a troubled dream; it may be so the moment after death.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) American novelist.


“Most women do not grieve so much for the death of their lovers for love’s-sake, as to show they were worthy of being loved.” – Francois La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French author.


“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), Indian philosopher, nonviolent independence leader.



“There is no death, only transition. Knowing that we are

spirit incarnated on Earth to discover our true self throughout physical form, and knowing that Spirit does not die, then we can understand that death is nothing to fear because it is then really only a transition and a ‘return to home.’” – Deepak Chopra (1946- ) Indian-American physician, holistic health advocate.

“Death – the last sleep? No, it is the final awakening.” – Sir Walter Scott (1771-1982) Scottish novelist.


“Death is nothing else but going home to God, the bond

of love will be unbroken for all eternity.” – Mother Teresa (1910-1997) Albanian Roman Catholic nun, servant of the poor and destitute.


“I believe there are two sides to the phenomenon known as death, this side where we live, and the other side when we shall continue to live. Eternity does not start with death. We are in eternity now.” – Rev. Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) American minister and self-help author.




“Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions, and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, ‘Did you bring joy?’ The second was, ‘Did you find joy?’” – Leo Buscaglia (1924-1998) American author, educator.


“As a well spent day brings sleep, so life well used brings happy death.” – Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519) Italian painter, sculptor, architect, inventor.


“No man goes before his time – unless the boss leaves early.” – Groucho Marx (1890-1977) American comedian, actor.


“You live on Earth only for a few short years which you call an incarnation, and then you leave your body as an outworn dress and go for refreshment to your true home in the spirit.” – White Eagle (1840-1914) Native American Ponca Indian chief.

“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, and beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.” – Tecumseh (1768-1813) Native American Shawnee Indian chief.


“I intend to live forever – or die trying.” (Groucho Marx).


“Be calm. God waits you at the door.” – Gabriel Garcia Marquez – (1927- ) Colombian novelist.


“Nothing can happen more beautiful than death.” – Walt Whitman (1819-1881) American author, poet.

“Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” – John Wayne (1907-1979) American actor.


My favorite and most comforting thoughts on accepting my own mortality come from Irish writer C.S. Lewis (Clive Staples Lewis, 1898-1963) who said, “Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”




That’s what I call wisdom, and acceptance. More on Lewis in my chapter on faith.

My own conclusion and advice to myself: If you believe in God, you should not fear death; you should welcome it.

I’m trying to take my own advice, and that of Buddha, whose philosophy on death could be the best one on life -- living our lives emotionally, spiritually, and physically without pain:

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

I’ve also wondered, even worried, about whether I’ll see my beloved doggies in heaven. Martin Luther (1483-1546) assured us our canine and feline and other pet friends will join us there when he wrote: “Be thou comforted, little dog, Thou too in Resurrection shall have a little golden tail.”

To close this essay, Billy Graham gives us some comforting thoughts on our mortality: “I’ve read the last page of The Bible. It’s going to turn out all right.”

 

"Is it possible to be dead and conscious at the same time? Is it possible to wake up in heaven?" -- Redditor

 

I think most politicians are dead and conscious at the same time.

As for being able to wake up in heaven, I'll let you know if and when I get there.

 

“We are, perhaps uniquely among the earth’s creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives, fearing the future, discontent with the present, unable to take the idea of dying, unable to sit still.” Lewis Thomas

 

Hi, Gigalos. I was lucky... I'm 84 and didn't start to really get it... that I wasn't going to live forever...
until I turned 80. Now I'm trying to forgive God for doing this to me.

I'm reading a lot from famous people, those religious and not, who made their peace with this "problem,"
and learning from them.

Since it's another of those things we can't do anything about, I just try not to think about it.

Keeping the mind busy with other things helps relieve pain, and this is the big one.
Dr. Sarno says so in his books. It falls in the category of rage.

 

Great quotes Walt! Yes at my "young" age of 61 I do think part of my subconscious rage is caused by realizing I'm getting older, my body is changing etc. I realize I need to let go of that and stay in gratitude, enjoy life on life's terms. I think admitting that this has been one of my TMS stressors gives me a chance to change my attitude about aging. I'm going to copy those quotes so I can see them more often. Thanks

 

Walt, maybe the 'dying before you die' exercise described by Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now could help you lose the rage about your mortality.

 

Msunn, you have the right attitude. Stay in gratitude and enjoy life on life's terms.
Gigalos, I'll look into the Tolle book.
I'm really not sure if I have a repressed emotion of rage about mortality, but I'm trying to think of it
in terms of I can't do anything about it, so why let it bother me?

 

I think the exercise is about realizing that there is nothing to be bothered about in the first place...

This is all I could find on someone's blog. My book is in Dutch language, so I can't quote it.

And then I heard him (Tolle) talk about a form of meditation called "Dying before you die". And something clicked. It made sense. You come to peace with the fact that your mind and body, and with it this material world, will come to an end. You will die. You will be forgotten. And everything you ever accomplished, everything you ever created will be lost.
What this means is that you allow your ego to die before your time in this world is actually up. All your fears will disappear. You will no longer take life so seriously. You would come to peace with what is.
The only problem is that the ego built the world we inhabit. Our society, our culture, our cities and streets, our moral values, our literature,... The ego takes credit for it all, and therefore wrongfully assumes that it is what you are. It will not go down without a fight.