ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

There are some uncomfortable eventualities in this world which are unavoidable. The body, having taken its natural course, will succumb to sickness time and again, grow old and eventually terminate. People wish that they could live a life pain-free, be healthy all the time and never die, but this is an unreasonable way of thinking that will do nothing more than needlessly increase your suffering. Let’s examine these three eventualities and change our perspective about them.

Sickness

You can view this as your body forcing the brakes on you, making you slow down in what is probably quite a usual fast-paced lifestyle. If you never got sick, your body would burn out without you even realising it until you were severely crippled. In my time, I have seen people who work flat out with very little rest, fighting through even when they are quite ill. These people do not look healthy even when they are not sick! They look like the living dead. I’m all for pushing boundaries but do so in a sustainable manner! At times resting is besting, so do yourself a favour and listen to your body when it gives you signals. Not only relating to illness but also physical and mental strains should be respected.

Old Age

While it is true that as you age, your physical body weakens, it can also be said that you become wiser as you get older. People – especially those notably younger – with respectful attitudes will be more likely to take your words to heart because they are more likely to view you as a person who has more knowledge than themselves (even if that may not necessarily be true). I tend to respect the advice given to me by my elders for on the off chance their guidance is “wrong” the assimilation of their experiences which led them to provide the suggestion is likely to be vast. In other words, their recommendations, regardless of the outcome, would be based on having access to more life experiences than what I would possess. To put it mathematically, they have more data on which to base their decisions in comparison.

Admittedly I am slowly but surely suffering from an ageing body. I have noticed in the past few years that I am becoming more susceptible to injury and that in general; my body takes longer to recover. It has and will perhaps continue to be a great mental undertaking for me to come to terms with the fact that I am not as young as I used to be; sometimes that means I have to slow down a little from time to time.

Death

People are afraid to die, and I don’t know why. Well okay maybe I do, but it is a needless fear. Death will come calling to you one day, and when that day of reckoning should arise, you don’t want to leave with regrets. If you live your life full of enrichment, you will care not when the reaper arrives. The reality is that you could drop dead at any moment. It may seem highly improbable, but the odds are not zero. If you are unhappy with your circumstances, then change them! Whether you’re sick of working a dead-end job, tired of where you’re living, or you’ve had enough of the people you hang out with. You don’t want to be on your deathbed looking back and wishing you had done things differently. No, you want to be in the position that when you die, you can make a quip to the reaper before departing from the world.

Uesugi Kenshin – “Those who cling to life die, and those who defy death live.”

It is essential to keep the concept of death close to you. Become very familiar and comfortable with the idea that you will one day perish. I personally imagine myself dying in various manners each day. From getting cut down to burning alive, to my heart giving out, I have entertained these potentialities and many more. It helps me put the rest of my life into perspective and prepares my mind for the inescapable eventuality.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.

Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”

-Steve Jobs

So embrace the concept of death for only when you do can you truly begin to live.

Conclusion

One need not fear sickness, ageing, or eventual death. Beyond trying to take care of our body through exercise, diet, and mentality practices, these three are beyond our control. Accept this fact and do your upmost with what you do have a degree of control over.

Your time, your energy, your focus.

You cannot live life in a state of constant fear. The body goes through cycles of illness and health, so be it. It ages through the passage of time, but through that same corridor, we gain new life experiences with which to draw wisdom. Finally, at the end of the journey, Death awaits to lay us to rest.

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.