Cheating Death

CHEATING DEATH

by Gloria Merle Huffman

11/24/2012

502 words

There's life. And then there's death.

When we are fully alive, we are happy to be alive. Life and death are on a continuum and we slide back and forth between them. When our health is bad, we may be near death. But the powers of life keep overcoming death and rescuing us from its clutches, because that's how life works.

Cheat death? Why not? Death is a sleazy, sneaking scoundrel who deserves to be cheated out of every swipe of his crooked hand in our direction, leaving him ... empty-handed. Score another one for life.

Which team are we on? I would rather cheat death than to cheat myself out of life. When death puts his clammy hand on my hand or whispers his chilly words in my ear, I will wrestle with him until I shake him off.

Death sucks. Death sucks because he is a black hole, and black holes suck everything into them. Only one thing can ultimately resist the vortex: the light of life that bends, lays low, and springs back with a triumphant "Nyah-ha-ha!"

Who so zealously taught us not to cheat, when cheating death is such a glorious thing?

Life and death are two masters whose bidding we may serve or ignore:

When we cheat life we serve death.

When we cheat death we serve life.

When life is difficult, what can we do to be a servant to life? What do servants do?

Since life is action and death is inaction, anything we can do to improve our ability to think and to act is an act of service to life. In the absence of noticeable improvement, or even in the presence of actual decline, the sheer fact of existence is superior to nonexistence and constitutes a victory. Every time you choose life, you win. One is still greater than zero. How many one's can you score before you hit the final zero?

Since inaction is death and action is life, our goal is to act to maintain our ability to act, not act to stop our ability to act. In order to choose life-sustaining action, we need a will to live. To have a will to live, we need a reason to live.

Why live? Why not?

It is easier to want to live when your mind is filled with good stories than when it is filled with bleak junk. However, there is plenty of bleakness in life. How can we counteract that without being in denial? The best way I know is to share real stories about how goodness, stubborn staying power, or actions promoting chemical rebalancing overcame bleakness. Bleakness is not denied. It's real. But the goal of the game is to get a handle on bleakness and beat it, or roll with the punches and wait for a better opportunity.

It's battle theory. It's game theory. So choose sides. Live like it matters whether you live or die.

Outwit and outlast.

Cheat death, cheer life.

© 2012 Gloria Merle Huffman

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