08/19/2026
*Have You Thought About Death Lately?*
Have you ever been in a situation where the reality of death has come sharply to the forefront of your awareness?
Of course, for most people this happens when a loved one passes, but it can also happen when you or someone close to you has a near-death incident, a life-threatening experience, a suicidal urge, or a significant medical diagnosis. And even when some celebrities or well-known people pass away.
In those moments, our own smallness, our vulnerability as tiny humans on this big rock comes into focus. What may have felt so important a moment ago, no longer holds the same charge.
I remember after one of my friends passed away when I was deep in grief that I would ride the bus home from work and for the first time I knew with such clarity that every single person I saw on the street was going to die at some point. That I was going to die at some point.
In Buddhism, this is described as samvega, the jolt that happens when one experiences the reality of how fleeting life can be, combined with the realization of how one has been living up to that point, often in a state of blindness or semi-awakeness. They combine this concept with that of pasada or the idea that one can find a path of peace through the jolt, over the new threshold that life is inviting one to cross.
When we allow ourselves some time and space in these moments to hold the awareness of death instead of hiding from it or denying it, we create an opportunity for a new birth. After all, everything is constantly in a cycle of death and birth. Even as an older family member passes, a new baby is born. As the sun rises, so to does it set. And on and on, in all ways.
There is a delicate balance required here, though, to allow the fact of death to enliven us, instead of drawing us into despair, existential dread, and nihilism.
Reflecting on death can ultimately be a very powerful and freeing practice, though, something that many cultures throughout space and time have known – from the Latin expression memento mori, meaning “remember you will die” (a phrase that was cultivated to help people focus on what really matters in life), to the Bhutan folk wisdom that recommends contemplating death 5 times a day if you want to be happy.
When you know that death could come as swiftly as the next breath, it invites you to celebrate each moment more deeply, to truly smell the roses, linger in the sweet moments, let the hugs last a second longer, and allow love to guide each step you take.
So grab yourself a skull, buy some flowers, pull up a death meditation, and remember to live your life as fully as you possibly can while you’re still here because it’s truly a miracle to be here at all.
