Are we prepared for the death?

We prepare for old age, but we don't prepare for death

"Old people seem determined to deny the possibility of death until the very last gasp. The young don't think about it at all. As a result we are panicked and unprepared when our loved ones die." There is truth in this. We spend a lot of time preparing for old age - pensions, retirement homes, medication - but that is not preparing for death. That is preparing for NOT dying. If we were all ready for death, undertakers would not make their great profits. If we were all ready for death, we would all have made wills. If we were all ready for death, we wouldn't go around saying: "Oh, if only I had talked more to my father/ mother/ gran before she died and asked her about the family..." If we were all ready for death, we would have our dying words worked out in advance.

Full version of the article:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_/ai_n25370439


To think of and prepare for death is not surrender, but victory over fear

If you are like most, you may be a bit squeamish when it comes to the subject of death. Most likely, it is something you would rather not think about. However, blocking the thought of death from one's mind is a mistake. Those who choose to suppress thoughts of death can never realize their full potential. For it is only when we admit that death is an arrow in flight coming our way that we are motivated to act now. When we pretend to ourselves that death couldn't possibly come today, but must be lurking at a distant point in the future, we falsely believe there is no need to act immediately. Who do you suppose are the great achievers: those who are ever aware of the nearness of death or those with their heads in the sand?

Because of death, life has value. When you realize that those you love can be taken from you at any moment, you cherish them all the more. It is death that makes life such a valuable gift. When one offers their own life to protect their country or family, there's no greater gift. Those who work as volunteers, helping others, are offering part of their lives. And because life is limited, the time they spend serving others is a precious gift.

Full version of the article:
http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/death.htm