Life is like a gift

Children know there is something called death. They see it happen around them, but do not see it happening to them. They know they will die if they were to drown, or fall down from a certain height, but do not see it as inevitable. It is probably a function of time that as we age, as we come closer to death, the very thought of one day being dead and gone comes as a mild shock.

No one can claim to have come to the world with a right to live forever. Life was not bestowed on us as a natural right, and death when it comes naturally is not therefore unfair. Is there a healthier way of conceiving the force of life is us, whose presence for a long time within us makes us its slave, such that the very thought of its absence fills us with grief?

If we see our existence as a gift that would one day be taken away from us, then perhaps we can live cheerfully and with confidence to the very end. An individual depends on a life force that is not his or her own creation. The very basis of his existence is a possession that is more like a gift passed on from one generation to the next. Even as recipients, we do not know who originally created or owns it. Yet, we can enjoy every moment of it, even if it brings pain and suffering.

We only get to see the lights and hear the sounds around us for a certain lenght of time. So as long as we are alive, let's cherish the gift, preserve and protect it, and try to stay cheerful till the very end.