Get the dead where they’re going and the living where they need to be

One of the ending lines of Dispositions by Thomas Lynch reads as the title of this article states: “get the dead where they’re going and the living where they need to be.” This past year my aunt lost her son, rather, I lost my cousin, to a drug overdose. His passing acted as a catalyst to my deeper exploration into death. I began to think about my four sisters, parents, grandparents, and friends. Then I wrestled with the philosophical nature of the decision to die, as opposed to the consequential fact of life: you die.

You’re dead. Now it’s time for the living to get on.

Eventually we all lose someone — whatever your emotional tether to them is, they’re gone. Nearing the end of my 25th year living, the reality of my grandparents passing has been dwelling on me. Conversely, I’m sure it’s weighing on them as well. It’s a strange dynamic to be in. My dad losing his parents is purely my own selfish foreshadowing. What I’ve learned is loss is a personal experience; there’s three finite facts of life: living, dying, loss.

Death is an option. Living is a choice.

Life is only worth living when it’s worth dying for. You’ve had moments when life scared the hell out of you. Either you were sky diving, racing to the hospital to make it in time for your child’s birth, taking a shot at touching the bottom of the “deep end” of the pool, or something as small as discovering whether or not you’re allergic to peanuts. Because most days follow a routine, moments where we get to see how far we can push our limit excites us. Hence, death is exciting.

Contact me.

If what you read interested you, let’s talk more about it. Feel free to shoot an email to simonsj@vcu.edu with the subject: LINKEDIN ARTICLE and we can set something up. Cheers.