A Matter of Life or Death

People often talk about having near death experiences.  But I would like to suggest that the more important experiences have to do with near life…I mean we have clusters of near life experiences every day.  Where we’re almost living, but in reality, we’re only scratching the surface of what we could really be experiencing if we could see through a different filter or lens…one that reminds us and makes clear the fact that every day is a near death experience.  Because from the moment we are born, this cradle to grave mentality we all feel uncomfortable addressing…it’s there whether we choose to consciously acknowledge it or not.  We all face an unknown calendar and clock, carefully wound in advance, constantly changing and adjusting paths and patterns based on our own choices and paths taken.

Think about it.  Having a close call or near death experience can leave a person feeling grateful to be alive, breathing a big sigh of relief.  And perhaps some even commit to sustained change in making every moment count.  But over time, most slip back into that comfort cradle, the one that leaves us feeling swaddled in a false sense of security, enabling us to continue moving forward in a way that doesn’t terrify us with the knowledge that there is only so far we can go before we fulfill a different objective, counterintuitive to the one we started with. 

I would argue that being nearer to life on a daily basis is a focus we all need to pay attention to.  Why?  First, there is absolutely nothing we can do about being nearer to death.  And second, knowing upfront that we have a finite amount of time to live, why wouldn’t we do so in a way that is full on and non-stop?  Why wouldn’t we try to be nearer to life, living it to the fullest for as long as we possibly can…until we have no other choice on the sliding scale of time, which will eventually put us nearer to death.

Sound a little morose?  Perhaps, but I have chosen to be full on and non-stop, in a nearer to life kind of way…I am simply acknowledging life for the timepiece that it is…finite, temporary and pretty awesome to be a part of! 

M