The Meaning of Life Through Death, Essay Example

Death is noted as the final stage of everything; the final strand that puts a person or any living creature at that to its end. The wonders of life simply make death rather ‘boring’. However, there are instances when death itself offers a new challenge that people tend to make peace with. One issue is how they would be able to survive the life before and after death. Confusing as it may, people do have an inkling on what will happen next after death; this is especially true for those who may have terminal health cases who may have not planned dying but wanted to accept it as a part of their ‘fate’ and yet are still wanting to make the best out of it. This may also be true of those who may be facing death with particular issues, a matter of being passed on by responsibilities by whosoever might die before them. These thoughts often develop fear among those involved in the situation. In the story Your Fears are Justified by Rick DeMarinis, and Survivors by Kim Addonizio, it could be understood that both assumptions about death and the worries that come along with it are all accounted for and valid to be realized by those involved in it. These short stories present life in a rather odd situation, but within a real context that define the reality of life to those who perfectly knew that their life has been cut short and that they should make a decision to make their time worthwhile before its end comes. In the discussion that follows, a focus on the theme of doubtful death shall be given attention to; addressing the doubts of the people whose lives have been presented in the stories, this analysis shall define what death does to those who know it is their time, and what changes does it actually make upon a person’s being and behavior towards life itself.

In the story Survivors by Kim Addonizio, the theme directs beyond the constraints of death. Being that the characters share a supposedly loving relationship between two males, the issue of ‘who goes first’ presents a rather crucial scenario that the survivor must be able to endure until he dies. The presentation of the situation takes the vision of one of the male partners who wishes to die first because of AIDS. His desire to die is dependent on the lack of courage to face life without his partner because of the many complications it may present him. One is that of the need to deal with the parents of his partner who would eventually become his responsibility. Although the mother may not be as adamant to the situation that he and their son is sharing, she does not approve of it either. It was also noted that the father of his partner was strictly against their ‘living situation’. The partner also has a parrot, a pet who seems to represent more than just the partner of the male individual whose vision is being presented in the story. Freedom is one theme that this story tends to explore. The parrot, being planned to be set free by the man after he partner dies implicates more than just the desire of the other individual to be alone after the other dies, it also represents the desire to be free from any responsibility; a reason why he actually wanted to die first. This fear of complications continue to linger in his mind as he wishes to go first, although it may seem that the signs are saying that his partner is clearly to ‘go’ earlier; a fact that would make it harder for him to face the last years of his life carrying the burden of taking care of his partner’s parrot and parents at the same time as he deals with his own health and gender issues.

Meanwhile, the story Your Fears are Justified by Rick DeMarinis presents a dying man with brain tumor. His case is rather terminal, a matter that specifically worries him. In the narration, it could be considered that the man has not come to settle with the situation yet. This could be observed through the beginning of the story where the patient narrates how he knew there was a bomb in the plane. His heart beat fast as if wanting to explode, and yet he tried to calmly deal with it. In a way, he knew he was dying anyway; that there was no reason to falter in the face of the particularly dangerous situation. Although he was calm, it does not mean he has already accepted his death; observably, the narration further implicates how nervous he was of the situation. Upon arriving at the hospital, he was placed beside a heart patient who was seemingly in need of a heart donor. The repetitive questioning and glancing of the couples from the other side of the bed specifically gave the narrator a distinct distaste of the situation. He did not approve of their though; as if waiting for him to die so that they can have his heart. In the end of the story, the line “yes, there is no hope, some fuses are duds, some tumors are benign, some heart patients recover on their own…you have time to change your life”, shows how the narrator is trying to come up with a final decision on whether or not to make his heart available for others to use as donor part for other patients. True, it might not be that easy to decide on matters such as this one. Only those who have accepted their situation and the status of their life and their health would be able to willingly offer their organs for donation. Such inconclusive acceptance of the situation poses a distinct source of fear for most individuals who know it is already time to let go; as they fight for the possibility of stretching the length of their life, it may be hard to take into account the fact that they are already dying. However, such state of mind could be achieved if a person is willing to accept that he is to leave the world and he is in need of leaving a legacy of his existence behind. Only and only because of this would the character in this story be able to come into terms with his situation and the decision he has to make about the meaning that his death is going to take.

Evidently, as seen from these particular stories, it could be understood that there are different reasons why people tend to face death with great fear. Being scared for themselves and being scared for those whom they love is a specifically valid reason for fear. As presented in the first story, one of the reasons for fearing death is the result that it may have on the loved ones that are to be left behind. The complications of life and the choices one make are supposed to end when death comes to end his life; however, this is not true for those whom they love and those whom they have shared their lives with. Relatively, the real fear over such situation involves the need of the loved ones left behind to thrive with whatever consequences of the decisions made by the dying man. After death, those decisions and choices would have a great impact on the lives of the ones he would leave behind. Relatively, this is the reason why it is important that a person thinks of others too before they actually meet with situations that questions their capacity to change things. On the other hand, other reasons for fear against death include the desire to leave a legacy; a meaning that would not only define their existence by the value that their life would have for others. For the second story noted in this discussion, it has been proven that the legacy that one leaves when he does specifically provides a great impact on how the value of his life is realized by others [whether or not they have a connection to the people they are likely to give meaning to]. The character of the second story still has a chance to change the course of his life through giving it a more meaningful value to others who might be able to use his body parts [which at some point would not have use for him after he dies]. Such a decision can only be made once he accepts that it is a rather more meaningful decision to make sure that his life would have better worth to others even after he dies. This decision is not an easy condition to accept nor make. Take into account those individuals who may be living at the peak years of their active lives when they get diagnosed with terminal health cases. It would be acceptable to note that they would experience a considerable point of disappointment; as for a fact, most individuals undergo a point of denial before they could actually take into account the reality of the situations they are subjected to. Only after getting through the point of denial would they be able to make reasonable decisions that would be able to establish more meaning to their existence even after they have died.

Overall, it could be understood that death is already a part of living. Although it may post a sense of ‘ending’ to everything, people still have different concerns regarding the need to face and accept its existence. Most of the time, understanding it, facing it and accepting its reality are three different issues that a person needs to give attention to; especially for those who seem to have no choice but to accept it. People with terminal health cases are however given a better chance to make sure that their death would have a meaningful impact on others. Depending on the stories that have been examined herein, the characters involved in each narrative are facing death as an unavoidable part of their being; a matter that cannot be stopped anymore. While this may be scary, this particular situation also provides them with a good sense of controlling matters and make sure that their death would not be the end of everything else. Preparing for the things that might come ahead provides them a good sense of control on how they are able to affect others positively. Unlike others who die abruptly, individuals who have been diagnosed with terminal cases could draw a time line in accordance with time still left for them to live to make sure that those days or years would be meaningful enough to prepare the ones they love for the instance when they are already gone. Fixing their decisions and making sure that their loved ones would not be burdened with their death is a chance given to them to make their lives more meaningful. Making sure that their lives would have better meaning through becoming organ donors is also an important aspect of preparing for death. Nevertheless, fear will always be a part of all these procedures. However, with acceptance and realization of death as a mere chance to leave a better legacy with the people they love and the people they hope to affect, people facing death would be able to face such life’s fact with a more positive attitude. Through this, death does not need to be the end of everything, but a chance to define one’s legacy, establishing the value of life that one has lived with; something that his loved ones would be able to remember with much pride and fulfillment.

References

Addonizio, K. Survivors. DeMarinis, R. Your Fears are Justified.