“Life is not the opposite of death. The opposite of death is birth. Life is eternal”
What do you think of this? I think it is profound genius. Although i’m certain they didn’t come up with the idea I stumbled upon this little quote through the lyrics of a band called ‘Anathema’; a band who started of as a doom metal band but have slowly morphed into a very deep, philosophical and hopeful prog rock band. I’m not here to talk about the music though…I can do that in a later post.
Just look at that quote. How does it make you feel? (without trying to sound too much like a physiatrist…) For me, it lifted my uncontrollable fear of death and changed it for something completely different. Now, i see it as a close to one story and the foundation for many others. We fear it because our death will be the end of our contribution to life. Death is and end, the closing of a book, a change from a G chord to a C, a finishing point. We can’t say that Life is a starting point so is in no way death’s opposite. I guess you could argue that Life has not always existed, so cannot be eternal (no end or beginning), but I think that is contrary to the point being made in the quote.
We tend to see life as we live, then we die. In other words we see life in terms of ourselves rather than what life actually is. As Eckhart Tolle (possibly the man behind the quote, i’m not entirely sure) expands on the quote: If you walk through a forest completely untouched by man, you will be astounded by how much life surrounds you. But also in this unspoilt environment you will find death round every corner-for example a fallen tree, rotting away on the forest floor. This tree is however fuelling life. It’s death gives nutrients to the soil, a home to insects, a feeding ground for animals. Death in itself is essential to life.
So whether you believe in any form of life after death or not, fear not. Life doesn’t end.
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