Prompt: “Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily.”
Death isn’t just nothing at all. Death denies life. Nabokov wrote, “Our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.” When our time runs out, there comes the end of everything. It isn’t just about nothingness. There won’t even be the idea of nothingness and darkness. There will be no perceiver to observe and perceive death. There will be no pain, no joy, no anything in death, since the conscious is gone.
Everything in our life vanishes. Who we were, what we did, what we gained and lost, everything stops mattering anymore. Living gloriously like Napoleon Bonaparte or spending the whole life in banality are just the same. We are all going to die and lose everything. What we felt about our life, the glory and fame will all disappear along with us. Death ultimately denies life.
Still, people may choose to live however they want. After recognizing the truth that how they live doesn’t really make a difference, people are free to make their choice. They can try their best to live a glorious life, which may succeed or may not. On the other hand, they can also enjoy an ordinary life and walk calmly towards death.
In the end, like Rafa said, “You have your life. I have mine.” Many people like Rafa and Pura are just doing whatever they can to survive, which is the essence of living. Their life may be judged by Napoleon Bonaparte to be a defeated and inglorious one, but they are also fighting their own wars against all the difficulties in life. Their life is burning in the ugliest swamp.
--Leon Liao
Death isn’t just nothing at all. Death denies life. Nabokov wrote, “Our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.” When our time runs out, there comes the end of everything. It isn’t just about nothingness. There won’t even be the idea of nothingness and darkness. There will be no perceiver to observe and perceive death. There will be no pain, no joy, no anything in death, since the conscious is gone.
Everything in our life vanishes. Who we were, what we did, what we gained and lost, everything stops mattering anymore. Living gloriously like Napoleon Bonaparte or spending the whole life in banality are just the same. We are all going to die and lose everything. What we felt about our life, the glory and fame will all disappear along with us. Death ultimately denies life.
Still, people may choose to live however they want. After recognizing the truth that how they live doesn’t really make a difference, people are free to make their choice. They can try their best to live a glorious life, which may succeed or may not. On the other hand, they can also enjoy an ordinary life and walk calmly towards death.
In the end, like Rafa said, “You have your life. I have mine.” Many people like Rafa and Pura are just doing whatever they can to survive, which is the essence of living. Their life may be judged by Napoleon Bonaparte to be a defeated and inglorious one, but they are also fighting their own wars against all the difficulties in life. Their life is burning in the ugliest swamp.
--Leon Liao
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