ETERNAL SLEEP, SO SWEET

Death has always puzzled me. Its very thought creates panic, fear and mixed feelings in many. Has anyone looked at death from close quarters? I never felt death to be a cure, never looked at it as a potion or a remedy for all ills until one day I was exposed to the suffering of someone I so dearly loved as never before. The ring of a telephone call in the middle of the night gets the heart thumping. We wonder if a call at this hour is the one to give bad news. And so it was one phone call, that sent me totally dizzy, a kind of bitter sorrow overcame me and the torment often connected to death. Why should this happen? I cried, of course unable to control my tears, which seemed to be a part of me and as it always happens, when you look back into the person’s life who is now no more with us.
When I did dwell on the thought of how his life was spent, a lonely soul separated from his wife and left to the mercy of the servants to take care of him. His daughters now married and taking care of their own families and then it dawned on me that death doesn't need to be the tormentor of both the surviving and the dying. I was pulled out of my reverie when I realized this. There was actually a peace in me now amidst my tears. There was a special comfort and quietness flowing along with my tears. I found it amazing. It was difficult, of course, to digest the fact that he is not going to be with us anymore, but it wasn’t a bitter departure. It was a journey for this soul into a better place.
Death is the greatest unknown of all; nothing else even comes close. Death is that harsh reality which is faced by every human who lives. We know not how it is because none of our acquaintances who have died come back to tell us about it. Throughout human history, people have refused to accept the finality that death brings to life. Death brings an unacceptable, sudden interruption to one’s work, plans, and relationships. Though we pray that the soul rest in peace we would rather wish to be alive and productive. But the inescapable fact is that we are limited and will die; and this death will definitely come. Each of us at the appointed time will face the grim reality of death and will do so ALONE. And so DEATH for us becomes a THREAT.

Let us try and look at death in a more sublime way. Death even though it is undesirable; even though it provokes horror within us, is, nevertheless, a blessing. An escape from the world of suffering, pain and agony, which is a part of aging or illness. So, when the thought of death starts to darken your world, remember that it is the light that shall illuminate and radiate your path to a destination unknown and by hating or trying to overcome it you are blocking the light that illuminates your path. No, I don’t mean to scare you, that is not my intention. I only want you to conquer your fear of the unknown and embrace it as you would of something DIVINE. Think of death as a shadow actually touching you, and you can have peace.