The other morning I was thinking about the The Flaming Lips lyric: "Do you realize...that everyone you know someday will die?". Sometimes, these kinds of sentences just strike you directly. It's funny how much wisdom is often contained inside of the completely obvious. I think humans have been rewarded for quickly setting aside anything that isn't novel in their landscape as a means to reduce extra noise and focus on what's essential. This is helpful in terms of productivity and survival, but, I think, often deleterious in other ways. Truly coming to terms with, for example, the fact that you have no clue how many moments you have left can bring about a seachange in the way you view life. This is more than merely recognizing the truth of such a proposition--it's internalizing the statement in a way that makes you feel its implications and weight. Doing this with the concepts of death and impermanence is a deeply powerful practice.

   Though most people live their lives under the assumption that they at least have a considerable chunk of time left, there is nothing guaranteeing this in any sense. It really is the case that we have no clue how many more moments we have left and that impermanence is a fact of life.

   And death swallows any concerns or worries one might have. The status of your career, your finances, your reputation--none of these matter in the face of death. Most probably overlook or don't pay much attention to the issues that become salient in the face of death. One can imagine that these would include whether you are actually appreciating the days passing before you, whether you are making it known to the people in your life that you love them, whether you are present with and engaged in the people you interact with, whether you let petty things take hold of you and then react in regretful ways.

   In this way, thinking about death is not a morbid practice. Rather, it is one that helps you to remember how to live your life. For the most part, we all know what a life well-lived looks like, but it is easy to lose sight of this once we move out into the world and go about our days. So, it can be helpful to routinize these thoughts. A simple method is to, while having breakfast, think about how you'd like to live the rest of your day if it were to be cut short. This does not mean you should try to change your schedule, do rash, crazy things, or feel like your regular routine needs to be more extraordinary. Rather, this means you should look for the simple beauty in the events unfolding before you, that you should endeavor to truly connect with those around you, and that you should be as loving and warm as you can be.

   If you considered the fact that you and the person who didn't hold the door open for you (or the person who cut you off on the road) are going to die someday and that it might be sooner than either of you expect, how angry could you actually be? If you are mindful of the fact that your time with your loved ones has an unknown limit, would you take for granted your next interaction with them? Would you be distracted by petty stresses while you talk to them? Death is not something to fearfully avoid thinking about, but is something that we should habitually ponder in order to reorient ourselves in life.