I think it was Benjamin Franklin that said the only things certain in life are death and taxes. Please don't quote me on that, I could be wrong!
Unfortunately, we're all born to die. In fact, death is one of mankind's greatest fears. Some of us fear the death of our mother. Others fear their own death.
However, there is a fear of death that is common to all people. It is that we all know our own death is inevitable and we are not going to like the way we feel when the time comes.
A couple decades ago I read about an old army medic who spent a lot of time with the WWII army personnel who were dying. When he wasn't helping doctors on the operating table, he'd spend time with soldiers that were dying after being injured in battle.
Most of the injured soldiers were inoperable. Some of the men had a couple hours to live while others had only a couple days to live. The medic would sit with the men every chance he could. He would hold their hands and console them while listening to their last words.
After the war, the medic's Christian work asked him to spend time with people on their deathbeds. So he spent a few more years consoling dying people. Thankfully, it was a calling he did not ignore.
When the medic retired, he reported that he heard the same things over and over from the people on their deathbeds.
They said to him, "I never did what I should've done with my life. And now it's too late, I'm dying."
I recalled reading about the medic after finding the text below. Apparently, it doesn't matter what era we're in, we all have the same regrets.
The text below was curated from this link: http://www.businessinsider.com/5-things-people-regret-on-their-deathbed-2013-12
The 5 Things People Regret the Most Before They Die
Living with regret scares us all. Bronnie Ware worked in palliative care for many years, tending to people during the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.
A handful of themes cropped up in the things they regretted during their final days.
The Top Five Regrets of the Dying:
1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
To them, these were regrets. For us, maybe the above can be a checklist of what not to do. We can live our lives a little differently by changing the things we don't like about ourselves. I'm beginning to change my life by setting goals.
Do we really have a choice in how we live our lives? Are we truly in charge of what happens to us? What do you think? Can we create our own story. Please post your thoughts now
However, there is a fear of death that is common to all people. It is that we all know our own death is inevitable and we are not going to like the way we feel when the time comes.
A couple decades ago I read about an old army medic who spent a lot of time with the WWII army personnel who were dying. When he wasn't helping doctors on the operating table, he'd spend time with soldiers that were dying after being injured in battle.
Most of the injured soldiers were inoperable. Some of the men had a couple hours to live while others had only a couple days to live. The medic would sit with the men every chance he could. He would hold their hands and console them while listening to their last words.
After the war, the medic's Christian work asked him to spend time with people on their deathbeds. So he spent a few more years consoling dying people. Thankfully, it was a calling he did not ignore.
When the medic retired, he reported that he heard the same things over and over from the people on their deathbeds.
They said to him, "I never did what I should've done with my life. And now it's too late, I'm dying."
I recalled reading about the medic after finding the text below. Apparently, it doesn't matter what era we're in, we all have the same regrets.
The text below was curated from this link: http://www.businessinsider.com/5-things-people-regret-on-their-deathbed-2013-12
The 5 Things People Regret the Most Before They Die
Living with regret scares us all. Bronnie Ware worked in palliative care for many years, tending to people during the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.
A handful of themes cropped up in the things they regretted during their final days.
The Top Five Regrets of the Dying:
1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
To them, these were regrets. For us, maybe the above can be a checklist of what not to do. We can live our lives a little differently by changing the things we don't like about ourselves. I'm beginning to change my life by setting goals.
Do we really have a choice in how we live our lives? Are we truly in charge of what happens to us? What do you think? Can we create our own story. Please post your thoughts now