A Thought Provoking Story About Life and Death

Last Updated on November 8, 2022

In a world where we are often confronted with terrible events and tragedies, it is easy to forget the importance of living every day to the fullest. Being able to experience grief from losing a loved one can be extremely painful and will make you wonder about one’s life and existence.

Every day, we all take life for granted, and for some people, this can lead to a sense of complacency. They forget that life is fragile and fleeting, and they fail to appreciate the little things in life.

This story not only provides a thought-provoking dialogue on grief but also stresses the importance of living a fulfilling life.

The Sea of Grief and Despair

The Sea of Grief and Despair - story about life and deathPin

There was an old man who was sharing his own story about grief and despair. He was talking about how he is still alive despite losing his loved ones and other people he knew. He couldn’t keep count of those who he had lost from years ago- his father, mother, sister, friends, best friend, co-workers, relatives, teachers, students, neighbors, and other acquaintances.

The old man had no children and couldn’t imagine the pain of losing a child but he continued to share his two cents about death. In spite of experiencing and witnessing death around him, he could never get used to people dying. Not that he can’t but he doesn’t want to.

Every death tears a hole through his heart and no matter what the circumstance is, he doesn’t want the death of the people he cared about to not matter. The scars he had are proof of the love and relationship he had with the person who died. The deeper the scar is, the deeper the love he has for that person.

The old man continued about how grief comes in waves. When in a shipwreck, you will drown at first with all the wreckage around you. The debris floating around will remind you of the beauty the ship once possessed. For a while, you hang on it to float and stay alive which could be the happy memories you had with the person that died.

At first, the waves will be around 100 feet tall and will crash over you endlessly. They will come 10 seconds apart and won’t give you enough time to catch your breath. All you can do is hang on for your dear life and float.

It will take maybe weeks or months before the moment the waves start to calm. It may still reach 100 feet tall but the waves will now come further apart. You are afraid that the wave may crash you and wipe you out but this time, you can grasp for more air and function more.

You may never know what could suddenly trigger your misery. Who knows? It could be a distant memory from a song, a picture, an intersection from across the street, the smell of coffee, the night breeze, and more other things!

Anything could remind you of someone you love deeply and once lost – and again the waves will keep crashing your body if this happened. However, this time, in between waves, there is life.

Eventually, you will find the once tall and scary waves to be only 80, 50, or 30 feet tall. While they still come from time to time, they will continue to come further apart. You can now anticipate it when it’s coming like an anniversary, Christmas, birthday, or seeing their room.

You will be surprised to know that when it is coming, you are more prepared for it for the most part. And when the fear of the waves wash over you, you will somehow know that you will come out the other side again. Although you are soaking wet and holding on to some tiny piece of wreckage, you will continue to breathe and come out.

“Take it from me.” said the old guy. “The waves will never stop coming but you will learn how to survive it as times went on.”

Lessons Death Teaches You About Life

Death is the passing of a living being from this world. It is considered an inescapable part of life, and while death is something that most people will experience at some point in their lives, it’s often difficult to know what to expect when it comes.

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Despite the sorrow and pain death could bring, no one can deny the truth that this could teach us some useful and valuable lessons in life. If you are feeling lost and unable to deal with grief, feel free to read these lessons you can learn from the short story.

Be Kind to Yourself

Receiving bad news of someone’s death is always a hard pill to swallow. It will make you think about the lives and memories you shared together – may it be moments that are painful or lovely.

Moving on from someone’s death is not an easy task and doesn’t take overnight. Acceptance differs for each individual and the feeling of guilt could make it harder to heal.

I should have been better to him. I should have listened more. I should have spent more time with her. I should have said sorry.

All the “shoulds” may enter your mind and make you feel awful for a long time. When this happens, always remember to be kind and forgiving to yourself.

Guilt eats you slowly from inside and when you don’t set yourself free, you will never be able to move forward with your life. It may be difficult at first but forgiving yourself is the first step for you to become happier.

Be Grateful

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Too often, we take things for granted in life. Death not only makes you feel pain and shock but can also teach you to evaluate your own life.

Knowing that someone is dead and could no longer do the things you normally do in this world can make you more grateful for even the simplest things.

How food tastes, how hugs feel warm from your friends and family, how contagious kids laugh are, and just waking up to a new day is something to be grateful for.

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Do not wait for someone to die to make you appreciate life and tell you to be grateful. Be grateful for all the people in your life that you love. Be grateful for the things that make your life worth living. Be grateful for the people you have lost and cherish the memories you have shared together.

Make Each Day Count

Death is inevitable. There are no guarantees in life and we’ll never know for certain when we’ll truly die.

One good attitude to practice is living your life every day as it is your last. Don’t take everything for granted and don’t live in fear of death. Use death as a reminder that you should not waste your life.

Treasure the moments, every conversation, and experience you have with people. Live for now and not in the past and the uncertain future.

Do Not Give Up

It takes a lot of strength to pick up the broken pieces that death leaves. Finding the strength to fight for a better life, get over someone, and smile again is the no the easiest thing to do.

Although you may feel despair and hopelessness at first when someone suddenly dies, you have to keep moving on. Rising when you fall after a tragedy not only makes you a survivor but also teaches you a new approach towards life.

It’s totally normal to feel sad even if someone is dead for a long time but learning to live with the pain and still continue with your life is proof of how strong you are. Remember that life is not about living in defeat.

Life Goes On

Humans experience all kinds of tragedy throughout history as shown in many short stories and the world war. One thing that these taught us is that life goes on.

At first, the world may come to a standstill as you are dealing with the pain as the life you knew would never be the same. No matter how you are feeling after someone dies, you always need to remember that someone’s death does not mean that your life stops as well.

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Take the lessons you learned from your loved ones and apply them to how you would live your life after they have passed. Celebrate both yours and the ones you have lost as a way to honor their memories.

Turning Grief Into Hope

Death is often looked at as the final destination, the end of life’s journey. But for some, it is a time to reflect on their lives and apply the lessons they have learned from the person who died.

When people lose a loved one, they often question whether or not they were a good enough person. They might even feel as though their loved ones died because of something they did. However, death teaches us to appreciate the little things in life and how to live a meaningful life so that we don’t have any regrets later on.

We are all bound to die someday. No matter how much we fight it, it’s inevitable. What is important then is what we do with our lives before that final moment arrives.

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