In the eternal present

We live in the eternal present. While I am alive, the present is all that is real. Reflections on the past and speculations about the future all take place in the present. So while I am alive I am conscious; while I am conscious I am alive. If death means the end of consciousness, I will not be there to experience it. The moments before death, possibly, but not after. I will not be conscious in the presence of death, for then it would not be death. Why fear death then?

It is not the experience of being dead that we fear but the process of dying (of pain and deterioration) and the idea that our identity will perish. And since we spend most of our life trying to establish our unique identity, trying to grow and develop, seeking pleasure and satisfaction and trying to avoid pain and frustration - for all these reasons, death appears to be the antithesis of what we strive for in life. It is death's contradiction that we fear; death's denial of our experience of life.

And yet, if only the present exists, how can life be too short or too long? It is the story of our life that we judge ourselves by. Is it a narrative that makes sense, that includes what we believe to be worthwhile experiences and achievements, that lives up to its potential? These ideas are strong in our culture - in our myths and beliefs. And yet the notion of a good life is entirely subjective and highly contextual.

What matters therefore is not the reality of a life lived short or long, but our self-constructed belief about the meaningfulness of our life, now, lived in the present. We are free to believe that love is the answer, or god, or beauty. And we believe these things not because they are true but because they make sense of our world, of our place in the world. They help us to feel satisfaction in life and reconciliation with death.

And as for death itself - it is only a reality insofar as the death of others and speculation about our own death affects us in life, in the present. By the time it becomes a reality for us personally, if ever it does, we will not be there to experience it - we'll be dead. So in the end, all we can know is life and life is simply what we are conscious of at this moment. I am alive, which is cause for wonder and celebration. And if you are reading this, so are you. So feel free to join in the celebration! The only difference between living and dying is our attitude to now - to me, you and us in the now.