Death, the Ultimate Motivator

December 10, 2009

Interesting how we often drive by a cemetery with the same emotional investment as when we drive by a convenience store, a carwash, or a laundrymat.  Yet each cemetery we pass by could, if we stop to ponder its significance, be a poignant reminder that not only is life theoretically terminal, it really does end—for sure and soon.

Life is terribly short and most of the things we spend our precious time doing are of no real significance for us, for those we love, or for the world at large. In the big scheme of things, very little of what most of us worry about matters, and much of what we pay no attention to is vitally important. This observation is more that ironic—it’s tragic.

It’s easy to fill up our days with thoughts and activities that have no real significance.  If we do, we remain disconnected from our life’s Purpose and thereby sadly ensure that we feel unfulfilled. We literally lose our lives. Those cemeteries we pass by each day are filled with the lifeless remains of people who cry out, “I wish I had.” To live vibrantly, to find joy, to grow spiritually, we must learn to attend to the truly important things, the things that align with our Purpose. To find joy in the Journey, each of us must attend to the things that matter to us, and to the well-being of others, and to God. Fortunately, these opportunities are constantly around us at every moment of our existence. We simply must learn to recognize them.