HEALTHY ATTITUDES (EARLY DEATH)

Claude Monet, Water Lilies

The other day I picked up a magazine in the grocery store.  Flipping through it I came across an excerpt by a writer promoting pre-sales of a book about her cancer diagnosis.  The excerpt read like a funny, poignant look at what everyone would agree is serious--the possibility of death when one is too young.  The cleverness of it all bothered me.   

Seeking fame and fortune from misfortune seems less than wise.
Death is no respecter of persons.  For some it comes late.  They long for a respite from life.  For some far too early; children, spouses and parents left bereft.  But to all it does come.  

And isn't it true that those we admire most seem to be humble in the face of death?  They don't seek recognition for simply being human.  They don't monetize their own illness. Or faith. 

If you really think you're dying, why tweet, engineer book give-aways,  and master PR on social media?  Why waste time on worldliness?  Why  publish your every thought?  Why aim for Influencer status?  

Instead, get closer to God.  And to those who will miss you every day of their lives.  But stop.  Stop courting an audience. It's not important.  

What can the rest of us learn from this?  A lot I think.  Every moment of our precious life counts.  If someone loves us--child, partner, grandchild, parent--give them our all. 

We may be lucky or unlucky to be given a clue as to when our life will end:  a diagnosis we cannot escape, or age itself. If we believe in the immortality of the soul, what Christians call eternal life, then let's not pander to the gods of fortune and momentary fame. Not be superficial.  Rather slow down, dig in and live deep. And don't host a podcast about it.  A time to be rather than do.  Aha . . . another thought.  Maybe we don't need to wait for that clue.  Maybe the time is now.  

Update (February 2022): the writer is thankfully alive, well, tweeting and hosting a podcast.