The Life-Giving Power of Death

By Jia Yi Lim

            Death is the killer of the life that we cherish, but at the same time, it can bring beauty in our lives―if we let it.

As uncomfortable as the thought is for many of us, we will have to face its full power one day. For some of us, it can mean a new journey; for others, it can mean the absolute end of everything. Whether into the afterlife or into nothing, we will have to leave those wonderful memories behind one day. For many of us, a small death is already waiting a few months away.

            This is our last semester, fellow seniors. After that, we will embark on the next journey. Some memories will perish. Some of us may never see each other again. We will lose the little moments that we enjoy here every day. Only when we prepare to go our separate ways will we understand the gravity of the word “goodbye.” As much as we love our friends, can this love really conquer time and space? That, we will have to leave it up to Fate, our old “frenemy.” As with real death, this metaphorical post-graduation death may come with regrets.

Laviynia Menon (12) says, “I’m scared I’m going to regret things. I’m scared I’m going to regret not taking that class or making that friend. . . I’m scared that when I walk out of high school, I’m going to feel like I never really lived it at all.”

We are hard-wired to dislike death. Every day, the decisions we make are for life and against loss. We wear seatbelts (hopefully) when we drive and visit the doctor when we are ill because we value our lives. However, we sometimes don’t value them enough to seize the moment. We like to think that we are only happy when we have full control over our lives, but that is just an illusion. While we are busy laying out the path-stones, life often wooshes by. Sometimes, we need to learn to let go and allow it to take us to wonderful places. Real success awaits us when we find the balance between work and fun. 

 Death can help us realize the beauty of life. Part of what makes life beautiful is its fragility. The truth is, we often take things or the people in our lives for granted and value them more after we lose them. By seeing life from the perspective of death, we can see how miraculous this gift is.  Death also teaches us to practice what we preach and nudge us towards our nobler sides. No one wants to die a traitor or liar. 

Let’s give death a proper place in our lives. Some people might think that death means we have nothing to die for. I, on the other hand, believe that death means we have everything to die for. Let us walk forward in life with both fun and force.