Death Has Taught Me That...

Death has taught me that

I remember vividly the day of my uncle’s death. It was one of rain, family I hadn’t seen in years & the first day of weeks on end during which many a tear was shed. It was one of those things that you encountered whilst growing up you that you just quite didn’t know how to react to. I was young and foolish then but now I think I have finally grasped what this lesson sought to teach me all those years back.

Life is not without adversity. It does not matter where you come from, what the colour of your skin is or how much material wealth you possess - eventually we will all face difficulties over which we have no power. The adversity which we face will define us as people. It will divide us into two groups – those who are able to learn, prosper & grow from this difficulty enabling us to overcome it and those who simply crumble and sink into a life of all consuming darkness & remorse.

There comes a time in your life when you begin to question the very essence of who you are. More often than not I find myself wondering why we exist, what purpose we serve & why we have to die. One would surely think that a seventeen year old would have been able to understand and grasp the more intricate workings of this worldly life yet here I remain perplexed by life & death.

It is only through the death of those who are close to us that we begin to truly live and value life. Unfortunately we only realise this after one too many deaths.

It is tragedy that leads us to change. This is the saddest reality of our lives. Tragedy helps us to change, subtly & secretly, from the inside out. We begin to live and not just exist. We grow more confident of whom we are – or rather the people we have become. We learn not to be afraid but instead strive to be brave individuals with a zeal for life.

As life progresses and death becomes more common, we come to terms with just how fragile and precious life is. Be it human or animal life – the...