Humans have  always been adamant on finding ways to live a long life. Rightfully so. It is in our nature that we fear what we do not know, especially something as monumental as death. The issue with death is; we just do not know what it really is, or what happens after it, and this lack of understanding makes it frightening to most of us. Before my brother’s passing, I always feared of getting that phone call telling me a loved on has passed. Until it did. When I received the news, I went into shock, but very much aware of my surroundings. I managed to prioritise what needed to be done, and I managed. Still in shock, till about a month later. Reality starts creeping on to you. Reality that this person you had plans together with, is no longer there. Its a tough battle, a battle that nothing can prepare you for. The battle is between your mind, your experience, your knowledge, everything you have been taught directly or otherwise, on ‘death’. You try to keep a positive attitude to life, to keep going for his sake, and the sake of your family. fighting your mind, as I have came to realize, is by far the most difficult thing to do!

One day, I came across two quotes:

“The life of the dead is placed on the memories of the living. The love you gave in life keeps people alive beyond their time. Anyone who was given love will always live on in another’s heart.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero-

“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.”
― Rumi-

 

Then it hit me. The biggest issue with death, is how we perceive it. To us, death is an end, the end of everything. We are taught to believe that there nothing, and thats that. I always found this idea to be annoyingly simple, and offending. Offending because, we work our lives to achieve something we want, for it all to go to waste in an instant, did not make sense to me. According to Dr. Brian Weiss, author of Many Lives, Many Masters, our goal in our physical life, is to do good. To do good for our selves, through learning, helping others without a return, to show compassion and love. This, according to the author, will help our souls and spirit after we have passed, and, as a consequence, will make us better people in our next lives. Such merits is what will bring us closer to fulfilling our goals as humans, spirits, and souls. I can not say I fully agree with the author, especially since I have always been team science, however, when you start experiencing similar things after losing a loved one, it becomes very hard not to at least consider the possibility.

The book, along with those quotes mentioned above, go together. To me, I find the phrase “long life” means just that. When a person has given unconditional love to people out of pure joy and for nothing in return, their memories will never be erased, nor will there be seperation.   This is the true meaning of long life. Many people remember Sheikh Zayed (or as we call him Baba Zayed), for those reasons. His love, compassion, and selflessness is what gave him a ‘long life’. People across the world were touched by his deeds.

My late brother is 10 years younger than I am, but has a soul of a wise older person. What he taught me, even after his passing, made me a far better person today.

Until next time….

C.B.