Fantastic Fifteen #5

Hello happy people! :)

It's our first multiple of 5! Two more to go before the last 15th quote!

So get ready for quote numéro cinq, wisely worded by Mark Twain and featuring Death and Liesel, the main characters in this book I devoured a few years back by Markus Zusak. (I strongly recommend this book. You can click on the picture if your curiosity is aroused.)

NUMBER five :

"The Fear of Death follows from the Fear of Life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at anytime."

~ Mark Twain.

Cancer...AIDS...Tuberculosis...are amongst diseases that are still taboo in a lot of countries and communities. The sad fact is that people don't talk about it mainly because those diseases ends up in death. Society is scared of death. Ignorance is bliss. And what better to make as if everything is going to be alright than to fake it. I am 100% guilty of that. Still today, because of a heavy cancer history in my family, I avoid doctors like the plague due to that fear of cancer...that fear of death. Actually, it's not that I am afraid of dying, but more afraid of the disease. I would much rather die without knowing I am suffering from cancer. However, this is still ignoring the matter. I am a coward in that situation and I am not proud of it.

But thing is, why I am not afraid of dying? That should have been more of a concern than the disease itself, isn't it?

I believe that I can embrace the fact that I could die any minute because I am happy with the life I lived and am living. Of course, there could always be improvements here and there. I could have a better job, which pays better. I could have a debt free life. I could be living on an island, submerged by a scorching sun and refreshing waves everyday. It does sound like paradise, but I could be in a much worse situation as well. I could be on the streets, with nothing I could call of my possession. With no job at all I could complain about. But that is not the case, I am satisfied with what I have. And I insist on the matter, because I strongly believe everyone should be.

If you have no regrets in life, why would you fear death? You have lived fully, as Mr. Twain says, then you're ready to leave this earth at any point in time. If one should ask me today : what is your biggest regret in life? Lest I be boring, I would genuinely dig my brains for a regret I have made in the past. But conclusion would still be the same, there is none! I did not and still not have the perfect life. Nonetheless, I live in a way that makes me happy and makes my surrounding happy. I do not have unreachable goals and I do not aspire to become a millionaire. Perhaps if I did, and Death shows up expectedly on my porch, I would think I wish I spent more of that money I worked so hard to earn, I wish I had time to become famous before dying...I wish this and that blah blah blah... The only "wish" I would have - and that I am realizing right now that I am doing something wrong already - is that I would wish I could say a final goodbye to my cherished ones. Why am I saying it's wrong to think so? Because I still can change that. Why would one feel the need to do his farewell before dying? In my case, it would to let them know how much they mean to me and how much I love them. But if that's the case, then I am not doing my job right as a sister, as a lover, as a friend, daughter, grand daughter, niece. If I showed them on a constant basis how much those people mean to me, if my life were to end, I would follow Death without looking back because I know my beloved ones know I love them, without a doubt. So here goes...I know it's easier said than done, I am a culprit in this field myself, but every day, try and let the people around you how much they mean to you. Don't take your relationships for granted.

Another secret to being able to embrace death without fearing it: spread happiness. Spread joy, enlighten people, make random acts of love no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. You never know how much it can actually touch someone, change their bad thoughts into good ones, make their day brighter. Spread joy and you will find joy within. Spread peace and you will be able to leave in peace. Be genuinely happy and genuinely try to make others happy as well. If you're living life as simple as that, not only are you being able to reach a state of lightheartedness, but you are preparing yourself for a beautiful exit...be it being in 3 decades from now, or 2 months from now or who knows 1 week from now.

So go! Dive in that ocean of living creatures, new experience. Take it all in without regrets and enjoy your death once the time has come.

Your girl out there (still alive for now),

xoxo