“I do not fear death”…
Those were the exact words from Roger Ebert; as written in his book, “Life Itself: A Memoir, published last year. He stated this in reflection after battling cancer and then a ruptured artery that had him clinging to life. In reference to his near death experience; Ebert stated, “in this life I have already been declared dead. It wasn’t so bad.”
Ebert goes on to cite the following: “I know it is coming (death), and I do not fear it, because I believe there is nothing on the other side of death to fear. I hope to be spared as much pain as possible on the approach path. I was perfectly content before I was born, and I think of death as the same state. I am grateful for the gifts of intelligence, love, wonder and laughter. You can’t say it wasn’t interesting. My lifetime’s memories are what I have brought home from the trip. I will require them for eternity no more than that little souvenir of the Eiffel Tower I brought home from Paris.”
I find this statement to be authentic, sans of ego. Humans tend to attach so much emotion and energy to our greatest fears and uncertainty. Is that our true self? Death is merely a threshold we cross after birth and life; a revolving Mandala that defines our conscious footprint here and hereafter for we are energy changing form… The Universe is… therefore we are… connected as one…
Roger Ebert crossed the threshold of living to the destination that will eventually greet us all. Chaz Ebert, his wife of 20 years, was quoted saying…. “We were getting ready to go home today for hospice care, when he looked at us, smiled, and passed away,” Chaz, said Thursday in a statement, shortly after news broke of his death. “No struggle, no pain, just a quiet, dignified transition.”
“Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive – the risk to be alive and express what we really are.”
― Miguel Ruiz
It sounds like Robert Ebert lived his life without regret; through his creativity he left his footprint and legacy… a worthy challenge we all face in this thing called life…
John C. Bader
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article reference Salon.com and People.com
John,
I suppose that given enough time to reflect on one’s life, and impending death, the prospect of death becomes easier to reconcile. Living one’s final days in pain and suffering probably, in some way, has one longing for the release that death will bring as opposed to being forced to continue a futile struggle.
I recall my grandmother, who lived to be 96, in her final days. She talked openly about her impending death, her full life, her current struggle, and her desire for the end to come painlessly and soon.
I hope I am smiling when my time comes.
Cheers,
Marc
Yes, death is an interesting prospect… It is interesting that here we have a journey or experience which is as natural as childbirth and as dependent as the sun rising yet because of ego we attach so much fear and uncertainty to the concept. Life is a university of learning and it is sad when people are taken early but I think as we age and become mature with wisdom, late in age; death becomes much more palatable… JCB