…you knew you were going to die at the end of the day?” This was a question each of us were asked last week in my ManKind Project (MKP) group during one of our evening’s exercises and it’s one I’ve been pondering ever since.
I would venture to guess very few of us in this world think about things like this on a daily basis. In fact, most of us probably think about things that are the exact opposite of this such as the plans we might make for tomorrow, the day after, maybe next week, next month, or even next year. But what if somehow you truly knew you were going to die at the end of the day?
Ok, I know it’s a preposterous question on some level, but using an example that’s potentially realistic, let’s pretend a huge solar flare or a meteor is slated to wipe out the planet by the end of the day. Would you do anything differently?
I think my answer to this question has definitely changed over the years. In the past, I’d probably answer it by saying I’m going to find someone to hook up with, or get wasted, high, and trip on magic mushrooms, or find something else to just numb myself from the inevitable. But thankfully I can say that’s quite far from the truth for me these days. Instead, I’d simply want to make sure I’d forgiven everyone who had ever harmed me and ensure I’ve released any anger or resentments that may still reside within me. I’d also want to let those know who are closest to me how much I unconditionally love them. And finally I’d probably just want to sit by the body of water closest to me (Lake Erie) and appreciate God’s beauty as I take my last breaths of this life.
I know these things may sound overly boring to you, especially given if it was my final day on Earth. But the simple truth is that when I leave this life, I just want to know that I left it in peace on every level within me. That’s most likely why I’m already choosing to do these things every single day because I really have no idea if tomorrow will ever come. And while I have no idea what really takes place after I die, I honestly don’t want to find out what would happen if I die with hate, anger, or resentment in my heart, or choose to take my final breaths in a total state of numbness.
Sometimes I wonder if the state we leave this life in is the same state we enter the next one in initially. Who knows? What I do know though is that my answer to the question of what I’d do differently if I was going to die at the end of the day is nothing, because I’m already doing it. Thus I would continue to do my very best to be at peace with everyone and everything around me for however remaining breaths I had.
So what would you do differently if you knew you were going to die at the end of the day? Think about it. You may be surprised at your answer, or maybe you won’t…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson