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Reflections on Life and Death
Authored by Kalah Schackmann May 17, 2025
Love & Hate
We spend most of our lives wishing we were dead, hating our lives, wishing we were someone else or some version of those things. One day, we look at the fact that we are dying and we don't know exactly when. But, when it comes to death with dignity, we suddenly have choices we've never before had. And there's freedom in that, knowing that we could go naturally or artificially.
We can find a way to have a farewell gathering to express appreciation for one another. There are so many ways to do it. But when we look in the face of it, we are in the same place and are looking at each other as if we are separate. But we are one, together, and nothing can change that.
The Power of Love
The closer I get to death (which may be days away) the more I realize how loved I am and how much love I have for others. To receive love by others. That nothing in the world can stop love. Not even the most hateful situations because love conquers all. As much as of a cliche that is, it is true that love conquers all.
The Final Ceremony
So if we get together in the ceremony before the drug I will consume for death, we get to stand around one another watching the portal open that will lead to the afterlife. Everyone will watch this vessel empty of life and it will look like nothing it did before. I'm surprised at that. Sometimes it's almost unbearable, but at the same time, it's the most freeing celebration a person can experience. Knowing what great effort the human had to create and animate the life that was lived.
Final Thoughts
So, if you have love here for me, please know there is love for you and you cannot destroy it. Nothing can destroy it. It can only be faulted by differences that we make in our truths. Life will pull down those masks, presences and defenses. That the most destitute of us all are the ones in the universe that life is the closest to. There is no being better than anyone. That can't happen. All we are is together.
We can't know our best selves until we know our worst. So don't be afraid at looking at what you consider ugly in the mirror of your life. Because there lies the best of you. What is in the way is the one looking back at you.