If we know we will all die one day, why don't we live like it?

Question

And in not living that way, who are we're fooling most?

Answer 1

Some of us do, or try to as much as possible.

Once you come face to face with death and you realize your responsibility for your own happiness AND the rest of the world's LACK of responsibility for your own happiness, it begins to get much easier to know for sure what choices are right for you and you begin to let the rest of the world off the hook and not expect so much. Then you are more often pleasantly surprised but rarely disappointed in anyone, and you do not waste energy trying to control and manipulate people.. Your life becomes richer from it.

Unfortunately it often comes after suffering and recovering from something traumatic. But when you realize you could die in your sleep tonight, every single thing falls into place. And the fact of it is entirely true - tomorrow IS NOT promised to any of us.

I love your second question, but I think you know the answer to that, too. I remember something a very wise woman said to me many years ago and that is "we are all living in denial of our death". My grandpa always used to say "no one gets out of here alive!". :-) Even if reincarnation exists, we're still never going to be in this skin in these times under these individual circumstances ever again. Really, what more does anyone need to know or understand about life if they can answer that one essential question?

Answer 2

What do you mean when you say live like we are going to die one day. If you mean: 'Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die,'
that is a reckless attitude that will leave you destitute and desperate for more meaning in your life.

If you mean live like we better leave something worthy behind because we are not going to be here forever, I agree with you. We really should live our lives with the knowledge that our time here is short. We have much work to do for the Lord in the short time we have. We should most certainly be getting at it.

Answer 3

If by "living like it" you're refering to taking risks such as walking against traffic or parachuting out of a perfectly good airplane, it's because I'm not a big fan of pain. I'm also not a big fan of needlessly risking my life because I don't want to die RIGHT this minute.

Sure, anything can happen at any time, but...I prefer to live "safely".

Answer 4

Can you write more about what you believe "living like we are going to die" is like? Seems to me there are many different meanings to that expression.

Answer 5

Sometimes it is nice to indulge ourselves in the luxury of believing that we will be here forever and in the luxury of not having to live as we're headed for death.

Answer 6

I actually do live like I am going to die.

Answer 7

Because life gets in the way. My dad died 2 weeks ago and the hardest thing is when it was sudden and you didn't have that one more time to say "I love you". I know he knew I did. But ya'll just remember to tell your loved ones you love them, you really don't know when it will be the last time you see them.

Answer 8

Ouch. That is too profound and yet very true. We all will die someday, but most seem to float through life as if it will never end. I need to sleep on that one.

Answer 9

I live like today is my last day. Life is too short to be scared of everything!

Answer 10

A good question and a good point! Some people are too arrogant to recognize this nowadays. They think they are invincible. That is when they find out they aren't / weren't.