By Carissa C.
Did those very words send a shiver down your spine? Did you feel a twinge of fear grapple your heart? Did you feel a sense of curiosity and wonderment? A feeling of excitement to “go home”?
Depending on your cultural influences, death can be a joyous occasion, or it could be one’s biggest fear, paralyzing their existence.
Western culture has only recently embraced the beauty of death and dying by way of the spiritual uprising. The masses have yet to come to terms with death and dying. So much so that death’s synonyms are preferred. We have become so uncomfortable with death that we use phrases like “passed away” or “gone to be with the Lord.” As a society are we really that apprehensive to use the words “death” or “died”? Is it fear or compassion? Regardless of our differences, we are all connected by the fact that we will all one day die.
Let’s take a closer look at death. From a clinical perspective, death is confirmed when the brain and organs cease to function. There are also eight other criteria points but we’re not here for that. You can go to Google for those. Western society has adopted this clinical perspective to be the standard conception of death. From a spiritual perspective, your body is just a meat suit, but your bread and butter are your soul! Once your soul exits your meat suit, it will embark on a beautiful journey, transcending through the great deep ethers of this vast multiverse. If you’re Christian or Catholic, you either go to heaven or hell. Quite frankly, I feel “hell on earth” is a pretty accurate statement and heaven would be that luxurious space in the ethers but that’s just my take.
If one was Buddhist, then the belief that your soul will be reincarnated into another meat suit in hopes of reaching the highest achievement of enlightenment that they no longer have to reincarnate. “Hanging up” the meat suit for good if you will.
Western and Eastern cultures beliefs on death and the after life are so varying that there couldn’t ever be a unified conception on death. However, I do believe that an individual can take the onus when it comes to their final moments. They can disregard their cultural beliefs and choose their “last hurrah”. I feel that a celebration of life should take place while you are still alive and not after your soul has transitioned out of physical form. What a bummer that you’re left out of your own celebration!!??
Our entire life, we are constantly learning and in our moment of death, we are on our final lesson. The inevitable and mysterious has been tapped in too. And we should all go out with a bang!
Beautifully written. 💜