Death.

It’s one of the most (if not, the most) eeriest of topics that helps drive our subconscious, as we consciously shun it from our minds; for fear that it will come all too quickly…

But, what is death?

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another. That is the first law of Thermodynamics*.

Do we consider it death when we transfer the heat from our hands to whatever it is that we are touching? Or what about when we expend kinetic energy as our feet hit the floor while we move from one room in the house to another?

No, we consider these acts to be merely the Conservation of Energy*; an agreed upon principle and natural occurrence found in physics—which has absolutely nothing to do with the notion of death.

So, what is death? Death is the cessation of what we believe to be our potential to experience this moment, alongside being the end of whatever it is that we believe “we” are. Death—ultimately—is the end of the mind.

“Who am I?”
”What do I like?”
”What will I do with my life?”
”Where will I go today?”
”What do I believe in?”

These are all just identification states held onto by a mind that hopes to not forget who, or what, it has orchestrated itself to believe.

The only thing, truly, that ceases is the story. Our story. Because life is just a story we tell ourselves.

Why are we not afraid to go to sleep at night? Because we know that in the morning all of our stories will return back to us.

Why are we afraid of the “supposed” eternal beyond? Because we only think that we are a composite of the stories that the mind chooses to tell itself.

In truth (explored through both science and spirituality), we are each but a seemingly singular thing that has simply forgotten that it is a part of a greater whole.

From a scientific perspective, everything in the universe is made up of the same atoms and elements that make up everything else—including both you and I. And if you trace our origin all the way back to the Big Bang, we truly are all made up of Star Dust. From a spiritual perspective, we were created by God, but are also a part of God. Same truth, different lenses.

It is only the mind that believes that it is anything but otherwise. It is only the mind that harbours delusions of grandeur, believing itself to be unique in a universe filled with similarly unique things; making us all both unique and not unique at the same time. It is only the mind… that ever really dies.

Do not fear the great beyond, but celebrate it; respect it; and make the most out of your moments before you move on to the next. 

You are much greater than you think; yet, much smaller than you know. You are both everything and nothing in one. You are—whatever you choose for yourself to believe.

-live on.

[As an interesting end note: that is actually what makes Samadhi* (the final stage in the meditative process) so vital. Once you learn to detach yourself from the narrative of mind, you quickly come to realize that you are much more than just your mind. That, ultimately, is what the Sages alluded to when they said, “to overcome your fear of death, you must first die before you die,” because, only then, will you come to realize that it is only the mind that dies…

For an overview of how to achieve Samadhi, check out my previous article, HERE.]