Going to my mother-in-laws house today I was struck by how as people we seem to be obsessed with two things, death and owning things.
Stuff can be a problem. I know, a lot of people don't really know they are going to die tomorrow, so why would they get rid of their stuff? Really, the question should be, why have it all? Why hold on to things unless they are memories, and then why not just write down or record the memory, why keep the object associated with it? When you die, others, maybe family, maybe not, will have to deal with your stuff. They will have to deal with the decisions associated with your stuff. What was important to you, will not be what is important to them. Your stuff with be sorted, donated, and probably a lot of it will be thrown away. You will become a memory, then as time passes and those who remembered you pass, you will become a faded memory, then as anyone who ever knew you or heard stories about you move into the beyond, you will become a distant star no one is looking for but someone may discover again if given the time and the opportunity. The stuff you left behind will no longer matter. All those collectibles will be landfill, discovered when some anthropologists question, "This will be a good place to dig, I wonder what treasures I will find here?"
Owning things shouldn't be a goal in life, for any of us. We should want to give things so people will remember us. I want people to remember me for the things I gave the world, for the things I left that I created, for something I did to improve the place, or not. Everyone knows who the bad guys are, just as much as we remember who the good guys are. I guess if we, as people, want to make our mark, we need to do something that goes one way or the other, in large quantities.
Death, being the other thing we are obsessed over, is something we shouldn't obsess about. Death is something that happens to us all. We all are born, naked and afraid, we all live, for a long time or a brief time, and we all die, the end to whatever life we have had. Some of us don't live much past birth, never knowing the pain life might bring, the heartache, the happiness. Some of us live long past birth, sometimes long past those we have raised and loved, knowing the heartache of loss, knowing the joy of desire, knowing the warmth of another human's touch. Death comes for us all, isn't that what the saying says. We can't escape it. We can't hide from it. It will be waiting, it's long scythe sharpened to frighten us into submission.
Do we need to live longer when those we love don't? I'm not afraid. I know death will come for me, either naturally or not, it waits in the shadows, waiting for the right time to slide out and take you to where you may be going. Death is an unknown, but so is life. Why aren't we obsessed with life? We should be. It's more interesting, plus it's something we will remember. We won't remember our death, just the life we are leaving behind. All of the amazing things we've done, all of the wonderful things we've seen, all of the beautiful people we have loved.
Stop obsessing, just live.
Just live.
Stuff can be a problem. I know, a lot of people don't really know they are going to die tomorrow, so why would they get rid of their stuff? Really, the question should be, why have it all? Why hold on to things unless they are memories, and then why not just write down or record the memory, why keep the object associated with it? When you die, others, maybe family, maybe not, will have to deal with your stuff. They will have to deal with the decisions associated with your stuff. What was important to you, will not be what is important to them. Your stuff with be sorted, donated, and probably a lot of it will be thrown away. You will become a memory, then as time passes and those who remembered you pass, you will become a faded memory, then as anyone who ever knew you or heard stories about you move into the beyond, you will become a distant star no one is looking for but someone may discover again if given the time and the opportunity. The stuff you left behind will no longer matter. All those collectibles will be landfill, discovered when some anthropologists question, "This will be a good place to dig, I wonder what treasures I will find here?"
Owning things shouldn't be a goal in life, for any of us. We should want to give things so people will remember us. I want people to remember me for the things I gave the world, for the things I left that I created, for something I did to improve the place, or not. Everyone knows who the bad guys are, just as much as we remember who the good guys are. I guess if we, as people, want to make our mark, we need to do something that goes one way or the other, in large quantities.
Death, being the other thing we are obsessed over, is something we shouldn't obsess about. Death is something that happens to us all. We all are born, naked and afraid, we all live, for a long time or a brief time, and we all die, the end to whatever life we have had. Some of us don't live much past birth, never knowing the pain life might bring, the heartache, the happiness. Some of us live long past birth, sometimes long past those we have raised and loved, knowing the heartache of loss, knowing the joy of desire, knowing the warmth of another human's touch. Death comes for us all, isn't that what the saying says. We can't escape it. We can't hide from it. It will be waiting, it's long scythe sharpened to frighten us into submission.
Do we need to live longer when those we love don't? I'm not afraid. I know death will come for me, either naturally or not, it waits in the shadows, waiting for the right time to slide out and take you to where you may be going. Death is an unknown, but so is life. Why aren't we obsessed with life? We should be. It's more interesting, plus it's something we will remember. We won't remember our death, just the life we are leaving behind. All of the amazing things we've done, all of the wonderful things we've seen, all of the beautiful people we have loved.
Stop obsessing, just live.
Just live.
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