mortal mettle

Like a shipwrecked vessel adrift at sea, our earthly lives are but a fleeting voyage. As transient travelers treading the sands of time, we journey together under endless skies, our footprints traced temporarily along the shores of eternity. Though our mortal shells erode, our spirits sail on. (Photographed and styled by The Border of a Mind Studios from a beach in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates)

We all try to avoid thinking about it, but death comes for us all eventually. Though it makes us uncomfortable, reflecting on our mortality can inspire us to live more purposefully. When the clock of life stops ticking, fret not about the lifeless body you leave behind. Your loved ones will take good care of it—they’ll dress you up nicely in a white shroud before sending you off on your final journey.

Many will come to see you off – some taking time off work, others rearranging plans. They’ll stand around chatting like at a high school reunion before you set off on your last journey.

Your possessions – that Ukulele lying around you never learned to play, the fancy plates at home you never used, the clothes that hung unworn in your closet – they’ll all be passed on, sold off, or tossed out quicker than last night’s leftovers. The details of your material life will go on without you.

At the office, they’ll have your replacement before your obituary hits the papers. Your workload will be passed on seamlessly like a baton in a relay race.

Your finances and assets will go to your next of kin. Don’t be surprised if you continue to be analyzed and criticized even in death – people always have opinions, after all.

True friends will mourn you for a time, shedding tears over memories you made together. But the river of life keeps flowing, and they’ll soon be back to their routines. As for fairweather friends, they’ll forget you faster than a fleeting TikTok trend.

Your pets might tilt their heads confused, wondering where you went, but they’ll bond with their new owners soon enough. Loyalty has its limits.

Your smiling face in those photos on the mantle will gather dust, gradually relegated to boxes in the attic to fade from memory.

Your home will echo with emptiness for a while, but will soon be filled with the noise of someone else living your life.

In time, the pain will subside, the calls will taper off, and you’ll become just another name etched into stone, a distant memory.

For you, though, the real adventure is just beginning. A new phase of existence where worldly possessions and status symbols are meaningless. Where you take only what you gave – your compassion, wisdom, and light.

While you glance at these writings, let us remind each other to live and love fully now. Build spiritual wealth by touching lives. That’s the only currency that lasts. Make your mark on this world, because your chance is finite. But your soul is infinite.

weight of impermanence

weight of impermanance

Today, I attended the funeral service of a colleague who passed away while having a heart attack in a football ground. He was 24 years old and had only started life. He was married only a month back. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. Though I’ve not personally worked with him directly, attending his burial has overwhelmed me by the weight of impermanence of this life.

We are mere passing visitors in this world, leaves that fall from a tree and eventually wilt away. The things we accumulate and the titles we hold are but temporary markers of our existence. The only things that truly endure are the memories and impressions we leave in the hearts of those we love.

As I sat there, I thought about my own life and all the things I had taken for granted. I thought about all the things I still wanted to achieve and all the people I still wanted to meet. But most of all, I thought about the ones I love and how I wanted to make a lasting impact in their lives.

In the face of death, we are forced to confront the reality of our own mortality. But this doesn’t have to be a source of fear or despair. Instead, it can be a source of inspiration, a call to live each day with purpose and intention.

As I left the funeral, I was filled with a newfound appreciation for the present moment. I decided to make the most of my time, to live fully, to love deeply, and to make a positive impact on the world.

The impermanence of life is a difficult concept to grasp, but it is a reminder to make the most of every moment. We never know when our time will be up, but we can choose to live our lives in a way that brings meaning and purpose to ourselves and those around us. We can choose to be a source of comfort, hope, and inspiration in a world that is often filled with pain and suffering.

In the end, death is inevitable, but it is what we do with our lives that truly matters. Let us not waste a single moment, but instead strive to make a positive difference, to love deeply, and to live fully. May we never forget that our time on earth is fleeting, and may we make the most of every moment.