to dream, or not to dream?
"Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die,
Passing through nature to eternity"
William Shakespeare - Hamlet
Everyone dies. It is a simple, but often overlooked, fact of life. Cultures have developed various ways of dealing with this startling end to life, most notably through religion. Nearly all religions describe an afterlife, but each provides its own twist; Christians believe in Heaven and Hell, Muslims believe that souls will live on after death and await a Day of Judgement, and Hindus and Buddhists believe in reincarnation after death (“Religious Movements”). Each culture develops its own customs about death as well; there are some that are somber and grief-heavy, such as funerals and burials, as well as joyful affairs such as a New Orleans Jazz funeral to celebrate the lives of those recently deceased (May). However, most cultures and religions dictate that what happens to one in the afterlife is decided by their acts in their earthly form. If someone acted in a way negatively viewed by a religion, they will typically go to a hell-like destination, while if someone was kind and acted positively according to a religion, they would go to a heaven-like destination (“Religious Movements”). Nevertheless, 68% of the U.S. population fears death, which could partly be because one has to leave behind their family, friends, and (“Statistic Brain”).
-Jazz funeral
However, there is also a fear that their existence will never matter, and their life turned out to be inconsequential. Colonel Murphy, one of the people Wes looked up to at Valley Forge, had a quote about this fear: ““When it is time for you to leave this school, leave your job, or even leave this earth, you make sure you have worked hard to make sure it mattered you were ever here” (Moore, p. 133). In his view, the best way to make sure that your existence matters is to work hard and make a mark, not wait until you were on your deathbed. There is a story about me as a toddler that connects to this theme. Although I do not remember the actual details, my mother has told it to me many times, and I imagine it going something like this:
My hand tightened around my mother’s hand as my face peeked out from behind her legs. With eyes like a lemur, I stared widely at the inflatable slide at the birthday party and the children climbing up, sliding down. This had gone on for nigh on 30 minutes, and my mother had soon begun to tap her feet and suggest that I join in with the other kids. However, I knew that it wasn’t safe up there; those were big kids, the slide was so tall, I would be away from my mother. The best thing to do would be to stay with her until we could go home.
As she once again pleaded that I use the slide, just once, I began to have a change of heart. After all, the slide did look pretty fun, and look at those smiles on the other kids’ faces…
“Ok, I guess I’ll go on” I quietly conceded. Knowing that I would be as “happy as a clam”, my mother guided him over to the sound of children squabbling for a place in line and yelling,”No cutting!”
However, upon arrival to the line, the worst of all possible news hit us: the bouncy slide was shutting down! My mother pleaded with the teenager who operated the slide, explaining that her son had only just mustered the courage to attempt a ride on the slide, but his indifferent face made no response except the remark, “Sorry, ma’am, we’ve got to pack up.”
This short story could be seen as something of a parable, with the message to take your chances before it is too late. While not necessarily suggesting that one has to work hard to leave a mark, it does relay the idea to not wait until it is too late to try something and make your life matter. While death may take away someone’s life, it cannot take away their achievements and their relationships with others that really give life meaning.
Works Cited
May, Kate Torgovnick. "Death Is Not the End: Fascinating Funeral Traditions from around the Globe." Ideas.ted.com. TED, 03 Jan. 2016. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.
Moore, Wes. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2010. Print.
"Religious Movements." Religiousmovements.org. Religious Movements, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.
Statistic Brain. "Fear / Phobia Statistics." Statistic Brain. Statistic Brain, 04 Sept. 2016. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.
"William Shakespeare Quotes about Death." Wikiquote.org. Wikiquotes, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.