Death is an intricate subject. Our lack of cognition on the matter has served the purpose to its maximum extent in entangling the mystifying ways it is perceived today. A few weeks ago as I stumbled upon a question by one thirteen-year-old who asked me whether I was scared of dying, I smiled thinking, imagining the answer would be easy, only to be stuck in a loop between a yes or a no. The boy didn’t wait for my answer. He had forgotten the words he uttered the same way he had unknowingly undermined its weight.
I kept asking myself, ‘Am I scared of dying?’
Let’s consider the possibilities. We base our understanding of death on our understanding of life. Death could then be an endpoint to life, or a possible portal to a new life as far as beliefs go. The notion of the soul while is a comforting blanket to be wrapped in also mocks our human ego, our consciousness, presenting us with more complications than solid theories. From not approaching a calm lake despite being a good swimmer in fear of death by drowning or being bitten by serpents to the instinctual feeling of wanting to take that leap as one stands on top of a cliff feeling light and altogether blank, it seems that the construction of imagery of death has to do with the amount of fear we tend to associate with it.
Here is an excerpt from the only copy of a transcript sent to a prominent theatre director, the one that was lost and a span of fifteen years later was miraculously recovered by the director’s daughter in his study under a pile of thousands of unread plays. The title of the work remains unknown; indeed, a majority of the play will remain undiscovered – that eaten by the termites, burned by the heat, and of ink disappeared under the settling dust. Being a possible discourse between some of the most revered minds in human history on the topic of death, I’d like to call it Perfecting the Art of Death.
Enjoy.
Takeaway: About death, like life, there are only speculations.
Larger Question:
If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character…Would slow down? Or speed up?
Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters
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