Please understand that this is not an easy topic to discuss. I surely didn't create this blog post without considering the various nuances of this issue. Some aspects of this blog post may lead to future blog posts on different subjects.
Death in General
Time to discuss the difficult topic of death. To identify this post, here is a picture...
^ from: www.wpclipart.com - Death is inevitable for all of us. It is as natural as living. The Grim Reaper will always win.
And now, a quote...
"Absence and death are the same - only that in death there is no suffering."
-Theodore Roosevelt
There is a saying of what is guaranteed are death and taxes. We all try to live our lives as best as possible. A number of different factors seek to deter our lives and limit our life expectancy. As much as we all can give life and live, we also can die from any number of situations. Even mothers who are pregnant could have their babies stillborn or miscarriage. Sad but true- you could even die in your own sleep! Some people even believe in the saying of "death comes in threes." This is the case where it seems as if death hurts in three ways. No matter what, death is that hard-to-accept reality we all must face and accept in some manner.
Death can surely hurt in the case of murder. There are often news reports of people who get killed by other people whether it's one person or multiple people. Even worse are terrorist acts where many people are killed by heartless and uncaring individuals. Then, there are times when people are killed by nature or by various accidents. These are times like when floods kill people or even wildfires. Accidents can relate to things like plane crashes, boats sinking, buildings collapsing, and any number of factors.
People can also die of natural causes or certain diseases. I once blogged about cancer, which is absolutely one case of diseases causing deaths. Some people die from things like heart attacks, diabetes, or certain other diseases and chronic illnesses. And then... some people simply just die of old age. You may be completely healthy or in great shape, and you just die eventually.
Even though provided for entertainment purposes, I hate when I've seen material such as "how would you like to die?" or "when you will die?" from certain entertainment websites. I think (I know it's entertainment) this violates the heavens and faith to think of how you're going to die. There are sometimes doctors who talk about how long you could live. Everything that could be done to save your life could ultimately mean your life could be extended as much as possible... but not too much further.
Having pets also has its own sense of death. Certain animals have to be put down. Some animals could have serious health issues no matter how much you try to take care of them. Trying to help animals live as long as they can is almost as telling as trying to extend human lives as much as possible.
No matter what, organisms will live and die. Humanity may eventually even be eradicated leaving mostly animals to rule. Death is a scary thought. What is most important is to try to make the most of what time we have rather than constantly worry about no longer being able to live. If we do die, at least being able to honor what all you've been able to accomplish is fairly positive thinking.
Near-Death Experiences
Ever heard of the expression of having your "life flash before your eyes?" This is a moment where you feel you are going to die, and you are given some kind of summary of the life you've led. Enter the near-death experience (also called NDE's).
One woman got some national attention about her near-death experience. When I think of near-death experiences, I think of Mary Jo Rapini. Mary Jo Rapini is a psychotherapist who operates here in the Houston-Galveston area. She usually can be seen on TV here in Houston on FOX 26 here in Houston usually on Mondays and Thursdays. She usually provides insight on relationship issues along with life issues. Anyhow, Mary Jo was once exercising when she suffered a brain aneurysm. Mary Jo was somehow able to remember what she could see and feel in this moment of near tragedy. It was chronicled in this segment recorded by ABC News in 2011:
^ Mary Jo Rapini Sees the Light
To say "near death experience" is almost a way of saying you cheated death. Almost as if to say you were supposed to die, but something prevented you from death. Divine intervention, perchance?
If you want to think about going after a near death experience and making the most of time afterwards? Look to Mary Jo Rapini. She lends her expertise and advice to help others. She is a fine example of taking negatives and turning them into positives. If Mary Jo Rapini interests you, here is her website: www.maryjorapini.com. I have full respect for Mary Jo Rapini and all she does.
Near-Death Experiences vs. Faking Death.
There is a big difference between near-death experiences and simply faking death. Faking death is simply where you try to provide a situation where you get people to mourn your loss for entertainment purposes. I find nothing funny or "cool" about faking your death. It is almost basically a method to either bring cheap attention to yourself, a cheap way to have people show sympathy for you, or both. I surely wouldn't want to tempt the heavens by faking my death.Death: Is There an Afterlife?
Is there an afterlife? Do we go somewhere after we pass away? Could we possibly die in one form and end up taking the form of something else (reincarnation)?
While I do not dabble in any religious matters, there are those who believe that our spirits leave our bodies and live forever. So when we die, we may live forever even if our own human lives cease to exist. Where do we go from death is a mystery in itself. For those who believe in reincarnation, it is possible we take the form of something else apart from our previous life.
Again- I am NO expert in anything religious. So don't take any of this information for gospel.
Death: Is There Life BEFORE Death?
Those who question whether our own existence is really real. When we sleep, we usually are in a subconscious state and perhaps in a different reality apart from our own. I even once heard of a saying that "sleep is the cousin of death." It is a truly convoluted thought to even imagine if we really exist and if the lives we live are real. This is one of those deep thoughts things that I don't necessarily dabble in. Just like the previous section, I'll leave this up to you to discuss.
Now that I have discussed death in general, the next part is in discussing dealing with death. So consider the next sections to be Part 2 of this blog post.
Dealing With Death: Instances
There was once a hip-hop song that had someone say "six million ways to die... choose one." Well, here are a number of situations regarding death and how to deal with certain instances.
Death: Natural Causes and Diseases.
As much as you try to be healthy, there are times when nature and health simply take you over and lead to your death. I am not talking about only things like cancer or diabetes or anything. Some people just naturally die, and there's nothing you can do about it.Death: Murder.
One of my alums from my graduating class in High School was killed by about four men. So the case of murder is especially hurtful for me. Closure and justice is certainly something anyone wants in the case of a loved one being killed by someone else's negligence or disregard. Murder usually occurs in the case of someone wanting to take someone's life out of hate, revenge, or anything like that.Death: Suicide.
When you are alone or are mostly reserved, it is scary and sad when you take your own life. You have to hate yourself so much to where you feel you don't belong in society any longer. Suicide is scary because you can take your own life and have certain loved ones not even know you're still alive. Death is surely a negative in regards to entrepreneurs and self-proprietors. Once an individual who owns his/her own business is dead, so too is that business. Suicide is essentially giving up on life, thinking nothing good is ever going to come and that trying to live happily ultimately means nothing.Death: Murder-Suicide.
A murder-suicide happens after one person ends up killing one or more people, then eventually killing himself/herself. Having blogged about this once, here is a case where someone knowing that the weight of killing someone is overbearing, ends up killing himself/herself to either mask the incident or not have to face any extreme punishment by law. So this is basically a serious cop out to try to avoid facing harsh justice having already committed such killing.Death: Bullying and Other Enablers.
You probably have heard of people killing themselves thanks to excessive bullying. This is where people get teased so much that people are almost seemingly convinced to kill themselves or have someone tease someone so much to where they are killed. It is also why I tend to hate Internet memes and trolling, because chances are, such teasing can ultimately lead to someone wanting to kill himself/herself due to constant teasing. People can become easy to break down when they are heckled to an incredulous degree.Death: Martyrdom.
A martyr is someone who dies or is killed because of something he/she believes in. Common instances of such can be like when homophobic or transphobic types kill people over LGBT matters. Hatred of certain religions and certain functions of religious groups are also part of this form of violence.Death: Unusual Deaths.
Some people suffer unusual circumstances that lead to death. I am talking about freak accidents and people dying in unusual ways. Even things you wouldn't think would kill people obviously leads to death.Now for perhaps the most distressing aspect of death:
Death: Mass Killings.
Dealing with one person's death is sad; dealing with the death of many is even more sad. These are cases perpetrated by terrorism, natural disasters, or absolute accidents. Massive loss of life perpetrated by natural disasters is surely forgivable. An example would include people who have died in tornadoes or wildfires. Another natural example would be people who died from being struck by lightning. Then you have absolute heartless people who commit mass killings. This is the classic case of "humans, but no humanity" where someone decides to kill many people for whatever reason. It seems as if you hear about these cases just about each month. Finally to end this section, there are various accidents which lead to many lives being lost. Common examples include plane crashes, building collapses, and other incidents where multiple peoples' lives in a certain location are threatened.The next kind of death is warranting of its own section.
Death: Self-Defense and the Death Penalty
We often times need to defend ourselves from the likes of others. To prevent certain people or entities from threatening our peace, we often feel the best way to ward off threats is to kill them.
Death and Self-Defense.
I blogged once about self-defense, which you can read here: "Self-Defense" (John's Blog Space). Violence of any kind is not easily condoned or justified. However, there are times where the best form of justice is to kill anyone or anything who threaten us. Taking the law into your own hands can land you in some serious trouble.What About the Death Penalty?
For people whom have committed atrocious crimes against society or humanity, convicted individuals face the death penalty. This is where law enforcement and government decide the best form of justice is to simply kill that individual. We have the death penalty here in Texas. People could face lethal injection or getting electrocuted in the electric chair.In regards to the death penalty, I am reminded of the movie "The Green Mile." I rarely discuss movies because I don't usually watch movies. However, I do remember some of the many issues involved with "The Green Mile." It's been so long since I seen the movie that I can't really recall much about it except for the element of the electric chair in that movie.
Whether or not you feel the death penalty is a good or bad thing is your call. I am not here to debate this issue or anything. I just wanted to bring this up among the different topics of death.
Dealing With Death: Funerals
If you think death is uneasy as it is, imagine having to pay for a ceremony to remember the loss of life? My mother and I once talked about funerals. A funeral is a sad occasion because someone dies or is killed. However, as sad as funerals are and as tough as it is to mourn one's passing, funerals are celebrations of one's life. These are moments to remember the lives of someone and what all he/she has meant to the world and to the people whom have known and loved deceased individuals. To have a proper funeral, it can be tough trying to acquire enough money to have a proper funeral when one's life is lost. I remember one time I saw people on the street trying to ask for money to pay for funeral costs. A proper burial is the best way to properly send off the deceased.
Dealing With Death: What To Think About Right Now
The idea of death is a difficult situation. You want advice from me in these situations? Here is some advice you can take from me:
• Cherish everyone who comes into your life that you love. Chances are you may never get to see that person or those people ever again.
• Let me take some lines from some feminine stuff: love much. Hug longer. Just hold on longer to things and people you love because you may never see them again in the future. Appreciate what all you have in your life and never take anything for granted.
• Never believe you are invincible or impervious to danger. As much as you've avoided death or avoided something that could have taken your life, don't ever think you can ever be killed or catch some disease that ends up killing you.
These are calming thoughts to help you realize the nuances of death. Here are more calming thoughts...
Death: Calming Thoughts
Especially in 2016, we have lost a lot of famous people. Just hearing about some of the many people whom have died makes us all feel sad and concerned. Times are going to be rough. All you can do is live life as best as you can for as long as you can. The moment you feel as if you could be next to die, that is when you begin to feel worried and concerned. Tough as the inevitable will be, there's nothing you can do but simply live life to the best of your ability. You have only one life. Make precious use of it.
Times like these are especially why I try to promote positive thinking. We can only control so much of our lives. A negative vision of the world and life only makes us feel terrible inside. If we forget what all positive there is out there, many more of us will begin to feel more like living to live rather than living to die. Death is inevitable; what matters most is making the most of the life we have and for what we are given. Even if we don't have long to live, at least we should make the most of what is offered to us.
Dealing With Death: Grief Counseling
The loss of a loved one or certain peers is tough to bear. When someone dies, the transition from remembering a loved one to trying to live without someone is troubling. So there are individuals who try to offer counseling to help grieving individuals and families.
One time in my High School days, one of my classmates killed herself. I didn't really get to know her, but I knew I heard a lot of things about how she died. One of the counselors came to my 9th Grade Science class to offer some grief counseling from losing a classmate. Losing peers of a certain community is just as bad as losing a family member. It can be helpful to have someone try to ease the pain by helping offer some guidance and help. All the crying in the world is not going to bring back the deceased, but trying to move on and live life without certain individuals is certainly tough.
Death: Final Thoughts
Death is never a comfortable or easy topic to discuss. It is even more something we don't want to experience, but it is something in the back of our minds even as we are even remotely healthy. Life has its high moments and its low moments. The world we live in offers its share of positive and negative moments. While we have no control over what goes on in the world, all we can do is live life as best as we can. There will be a moment where will face death. Even if we do not have as much time to live any longer, these are moments where you must learn to appreciate what all we have and never take it for granted.
It becomes sad when we hear of people dying or being killed for whatever reasons ranging from health-related issues to murder. Times like these are moments to really think about what matters most in the world. Death changes everything. You know what they say- you never know what you have until it's gone. And when "it" is someone's life, you now have to think about how to move on without a loved one. You may need to seek grief counseling to think further about how to move on after a loved one dies or is killed. Things like death help you to appreciate how much people mean to this world and society. If there is someone or something you love dearly, take full advantage of the opportunity to caress and care for whomever and whatever means the most to you. Being loved won't protect you from death, but it at least gives you something to be assured of and to be thankful of for no matter what journey(s) you take in life.
No matter what the case, death is never easy to handle or move on from. Everyone takes death differently depending on who is deceased and how much that person or that being means to someone. Regardless, it is a natural reality we must all accept.
In Case Anyone Suffered a Death Recently...
I would like to offer my condolences to all of you if you have recently experienced or suffered the death of loved ones. This may involve either someone dying or someone being killed. Do your best and try to find ways to accept something as harsh (yet realistic and natural) as death. It is never easy dealing with death, but it isn't impossible."John's Blog Space" is a personal blog with a variety of topics. That even includes difficult subjects such as this one. I am glad you stuck with me in my discussion of death and the various nuances of it. There are many topics I discuss in my blog and in other forms of media. So make sure to Subscribe and Follow my work if you enjoy it. Regardless of whether the next topic to this blog is pleasant or unpleasant, I still want to thank you for reading! Take care and be well.
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