Being mere mortals, the one thing that we fear above all other fears, the one most certain and yet the most terrifying is, of course, Death. But is it really as dreadful as we make of it?

I doubt it. In my view, death is as glorious as life and, hence, deserves as much dignity as the former. While life gives us the opportunity to move ahead, death gives us the courage to move on. We often forget this all-important distinction. Were it not for death, we humans would never perceive life as an ice-cream to be enjoyed before it melts away. We would rather consider it a packet of candy that can be stored for as long as we wish and enjoyed whenever we feel like. Had there not been a boundary called death, we would let each moment slip by.

I have noticed that when a person passes away, the family members tend to quit even talking about him/her, in the fear of reviving painful memories. It is natural for people to feel sad at the demise of their beloved and I entirely respect these feelings. But my question is, is it right that we completely abandon the rich memories people leave behind? How can we let the world absolutely forget the existence of one precious life that meant so much to us once upon a time?

People, over the ages, have been wondering whether or nor there is life after death. But, obviously, the answer is as yet unknown. And nor might it even be known. This lack of knowledge makes us feel inferior to the “Supreme Terminator” and only intensifies the fear of the unknown after death: What indeed does lie beyond what we can see or perceive? But that, I believe, is the wrong question to ask. The query should rather be “How can we live a rich and meaningful life before our time’s up?”

Deep down we all understand about the inevitability of death.

And yet, as each body sheds its earthly mould and immortal soul enters a new dimension of eternity, we tend to deny and shun the mandatory rule of nature, only pushing ourselves deeper into our self-created “grave of grief.”

Let us not fear or hate death. Let us not consider it a destroyer. Instead, let us respect it as a precious gift. A gift which we ought to make the best use of before we run past our “expiry date”.