MIND newsletter: Life and death - a thin line
Happy Saturday! And happy Thanksgiving to folks in the US.
1. M (Challenge your mindset)
In contrast to my culture’s old belief that talking about death is taboo, I don’t hesitate to discuss or contemplate that. And this week when I came to know about a tragic event that happened to a family of my acquaintance, that thin line between life and death again triggers a question in me: If we, somehow, can see that thin line, would we live differently? Is that what happens with people going through existential crises and near-death experiences?
Some of my clients are already familiar with the self-eulogy exercise* I did with them. Sometimes it made the session emotional, other times it brought joy to our faces.
One of my lovely clients at the end of the session summed it up beautifully: “you would know that you have lived a wonderful life when in your last moment on Earth, you are the one who smiles while everyone cries”.
* Given that the self-eulogy exercise might not be for anyone at anytime, and it might not be valuable when you do it alone, I won’t provide further details about it here.
2. I (I’m my own coach)
I want you to listen to a song today. It’s a Vietnamese song though I have copied the English lyrics below.
Closing my eyes, I see me returning to the past
to the family meal that I have long missed
Closing my eyes, I see my parents sitting by my innocent little brother
look back on the past years
I have learned how to love others,
and to forgive those who hate me
I have learned to dispel sadness and sorrow with a smile
and with faith in people
If I ever fly to heaven one day,
then my dear ones, I have lived it to the fullest
If I ever pass away one day,
then my dear ones, I have lived a wonderful life
Please see me off with a smile afterwards…
3. N (The power of Now)
What do you want your life to stand for?
4. D (Do)
Take a paper, write down your answer for question 3, and hang it somewhere you can see every day (for example for me I posted it on my desk). Every morning, before you even start working, ask whether your tasks today will bring you closer to what your life stands for.
