“It” is Hard to Think About, but . . .

It is necessary to meditate early, and often, on the art of dying to succeed later in doing it properly just once.

Umberto Eco

Imagine spending dedicated time actually meditating–both early and often–on the act of dying? That notion, on its face, seems like an exercise in fear and pessimism. Why would anyone take moments out of their lives to think about death?

But it has been said that one’s awareness of death is the motivator to live one’s life more fully.

I’m guessing that you’ve entertained the hypothetical thought game of “If you only had six months to live.” (Or any other measure of time.) Somehow, we’re able to hold that idea and then expound on all the things that we might do with that remaining time. Often, we add conditions to the thought game such as “presuming I’m healthy until the bitter end” or “if money isn’t a barrier.”

If you are able to entertain all that you might do with only months (or other increment of time) left, you, too, can consider death independent of time frames and conditions that consider health and finances. And this practice can be worthwhile, because it shines a bright light on all that you may wish for in your life and what is truly meaningful.

I invite you to try this: Set an alarm on your phone to ring once a day. When it rings, imagine yourself as no longer a living person on this earth. I promise, it gets easier and those aspects of meaningfulness grow stronger.