The Messenger - The Untethered Soul

Search

Saturday, 30 August 2008

Home

Archives 2007

Nov/Dec

The Untethered Soul

PDF

| Print |

E-mail

Written by Michael Singer

Let this knowledge
help you to live
every moment of
your life fully...

It is truly a great cosmic paradox that one of the best teachers in all of life turns out to be death. No person or situation could ever teach you as much as death has to teach you. While someone could tell you that you are not your body, death shows you. While someone could remind you of the insignificance of the things you cling to, death takes them all away in a second. While people can teach you that men and women of all races are equal and that there is no difference between rich and poor, death instantly makes us all the same.

The question is, are you going to wait until that last moment to let death be your teacher? The mere possibility of death has the power to teach us. A wise person realizes at any moment they may breathe out, and the breath may not come back in. It could happen any time, in any place. A wise being embraces the reality and inevitability of death.

Any time you’re having trouble with something, think of death. Let’s say you’re the jealous type, and you can’t stand anyone being close to your mate. Think about what will happen when you’re no longer here. Is it all that romantic that your loved one should live alone with no one to care for them? If you can get past your personal issues, you’ll find you want the person you love to be happy and have a full and beautiful life. Since that is what you want for them, why are you bothering them now just for talking to someone?

It shouldn’t take death to challenge you to live at your highest level. “If with one breath all of this can change, then I want to live at the highest level while I’m alive. I’m going to stop bothering the people I love. I’m going to live life from the deepest part of my being.”

This is the consciousness necessary for deep and meaningful relationships. We take for granted that they’ll continue to be there for us. What if they died? What if you died? What if you knew this evening would be the last time you’d get to see them? Imagine an angel comes down and tells you, “Straighten up your affairs. You will not awake from your sleep tonight. You’re coming to me.” Then you’d know that every person you see that day, you’d be seeing for the last time. How would you interact with them? Would you even bother with the little grudges and complaints you’ve been carrying around? How much love could you give the ones you love, knowing it would be the last time you’d get to be with them? Think about what it would be like if you lived like that every moment with everyone. Your life would be really different. Death is not a morbid thought. Death is the greatest teacher in all of life.

Take a moment to look at the things you think you need. Look at how much time and energy you put into various activities. If you knew you were going to die within a week or a month, how would your priorities change? How would your thoughts change? Then ponder this question: If that’s what you would do with your last week, what are you doing with the rest of your time? Treating it like it’s not something precious? That is what death asks of you.

Death is a great teacher. But who lives with that level of awareness?

So why not be bold enough to regularly reflect on how you would live that last week? If you were to ask this question of people who are truly awakened, they wouldn’t have any problem answering you. Not a thing would change inside of them. If death were to come in an hour, a week, or a year, they would live exactly the same way as they’re living now. In other words, they are living their lives fully and are not making compromises or playing games with themselves.

There is a story of a great yogi who said that every moment of his life he felt as though a sword were suspended above his head by a spiderweb. He lived his life with the awareness he was that close to death. You are that close to death. Every time you get in the car, walk across the street, or eat something, it could be the last thing you do. Do you realize what you’re doing at any moment is something someone was doing when they died? No matter what you’re doing, you can be sure somebody died that way.

You must not be afraid to discuss death. Instead, let this knowledge help you to live every moment of your life fully, because every moment matters. That’s what happens when someone knows they only have a week left. Everything is a million times more meaningful in that final week. What if you were to live every week that way?

Copyright ©2007 Reprinted with permission by New Harbinger Publications, Inc. From the book Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. http://www.newharbinger.com/

MICHAEL A. SINGER, during his doctoral work, had a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. He founded Temple of the Universe, where people of any set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. He has authored:The Search for Truth and Three Essays on Universal Law: Karma, Will and Love. http://www.untetheredsoul.com

[ Back ]

Main Menu