Taking Every Decision With Death In Mind

" Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well. " -Buddha

The impermanence of human existence – a thought that scares many to even entertain. As the Buddha said, attachment leads to suffering, and that includes as well the attachment we hold toward our own life. Thinking that it could all end at any given moment is what has been my driving force in life. Life experience taught me firsthand to never take a split second for granted because the truth is that a nanosecond is all it takes for life to strike like a motherfucking beast.

Many fights, insecurities, fears, anxieties, words left unsaid, could be avoided if we all kept in mind the fact that we will face death one day. It’s the common ground of all beings – no matter who we are. Yet hedonic adaptation fools us all and makes us forget about this very important truth.
Most people don’t think about it daily as they are not meeting death on a daily basis. However, sometimes, tasting death on one’s tongue can be a life altering moment in one’s own life.

From that point on, in spite of the intense fear of having seen your life flash before your eyes, such a terrifying experience may have left you with a gift – that is – with a fresher perspective than you have ever had to this day. Gifted with a set of new eyes, the world as it is does not appear to you the same. You don’t overlook the trivialities of life no more. You now realize that they are the big things after all.

When your partner leaves out the door in the morning to go to work, you make sure to kiss them goodbye and give them an extra dose of sweet loving. When you write down in your gratitude journal at the end of the day, you take the time to soak all the beautiful moments that have happened throughout the day in.

It’s all too easy to get lost in the daily grind of life, to be stuck on autopilot mode for weeks at a time. We devalue what we have because we somehow think it’s gonna stay there forever. But the truth is that nothing lasts forever. We’re all headed toward the same final destination. Why not make the most of it? Why not live life with a conscious awareness?

Each moment is a gift – hence why they unfold one at a time. Don’t wait before it’s too late to do what you’ve always wanted to do. Stop postponing your goals. Don’t be afraid of making the first move and telling someone you miss them. Don’t wait to tell your loved ones how much you love them.

As Mae West said it best —" You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. " You don’t have your whole life ahead of you. The present moment is your only guarantee. Seize it with each fiber of your being. Love with all you have. Give with all you have. Because all you have and will ever have is Now.