But *I* Am Not Dying

I spent at least a half an hour writing this post and then blogger malfunctioned and I lost the entire thing. So please forgive me if this second time around, I am not as eloquent. :-)

On my spiritual distress posting, Lord of Doom wrote a comment:

"If terminally ill and bedbound waiting to die then there is no real spiritual development left in this life. As some believe, our purpose here is to develop ourselves spiritually in preparation for the next world. So kind of like "cramming" and doing lots of revision in the waiting room 5 minutes before a big exam - it is simply not worth it. Might as well sit it out and wait for the exam. You'll be judged on what you've learned. You'll learn nothing new."

I both agree and disagree with this sentiment.

I write this blog in large part for my own spiritual growth. But I also hope that by reading it, others may also come to terms with the precious limited time we have in this life. So I agree - one should not wait or "cram." Just as the death clock illustrates so clearly, time is running out for each of us. Although many people get diagnosed with a disease that gives them a clear timeframe for when their death may come, many others die suddenly. We don't know when our time will come. So yes, by all means, we should be working on those tasks that become so crucial in our last hours throughout our entire lives:

-find meaning in our lives
-create meaningful relationships and connections with others
-forgive others and ourselves
-explore our spiritual beliefs and our beliefs about life after death
-create habits and practices in our lives that bring us inner peace and comfort

If we wait until we are literally on our deathbed, it's true, it will be much more difficult to accomplish these things. However, I disagree that you must just throw in the towel if you have made it to your deathbed without contemplating any of these things before.

A simple "I'm so sorry" or "I love you" can profoundly affect the lives of the people who are being left behind. If these words warm the heart of those who will remain living, this too is a spiritual act. There is no doubt in my mind that helping to further the spiritual growth of another is just as spiritually fulfilling of an act if not even more so.