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Self-appointed experts contend that the fear of death is rooted in a constricted life. If I live fully, the fear of death will disappear. Death anxiety is a kind of warning: Live fully or die terrified.

What if this is upside down? Could it be that the fear of death is not about living fully, but about dying fully? Generally speaking, life is way longer than death, which is gone in a flash. If I am not sharply attuned, I might very likely miss my death all together, which is what happens with so much of our life: By living in a trance state most of the time, we are not really aware of what's happening: the ladybug that alights on my arm for an instant; the butterfly iris that bloomed overnight; the old woman beside me, struggling with groceries as she endeavors to cross the street.

What then is a full death? To die completely; this is what it means to live one's death fully. Enter into the moment wholeheartedly, so one's self all together disappears. To burn completely such that there is nothing but ash left behind. Have you ever done this; that is, died completely to the moment? This is what awareness of death is calling each of us to do. Now, not in 30 or 40 years.

blink sunset blink...