Democracy From Death Perspective

Democracy, from Death perspective
- Dedicated to the late Leo Buscaglia, My own Guru.
“Death is a challenge. It tells us not to waste time... It tells us to tell each other right now that we love each other”, So said Buscaglia. The most terrifying subject that lots of people, especially western folks, think about is the scary feeling of dying alone!
This issue creates a center of attention to many human beings who find themselves, and their social lives in vain, detached from any sort of the essential aspect of human beings communications with each other. That sort of pure contact of which is being lost in the market of materialism, and living life as a goal rather than as a marvelous and an extraordinary journey to another eternal life.

This aspect of dying alone, without anyone holding your hands, without anyone saying that you will be missed, and you are loved, and all other words that make the dying person departed this life with a lovely smile makes some human beings scared of experiencing the process of Dying. Another aspect behind this fear is how people view death as an end of all the pleasures in Life, rather than a chance to live life fully, and enjoying each moment of it, by experiencing and celebrating all its components, conditions, aspects, and feelings. These thoughts and ideologies in viewing Life and Death confuse some people and create some sort of disorder in the process of accepting Life as a chance to love, to forgive, to care about, and the most important to live it beautifully and peacefully. Or accepting Death as a lovely end of a fabulous and fantastic colorful life.
What I like about Buscaglia is his high-spirited soul and his view of Life and Death. We do need people like him to help us finding the path of living our lives accompanied with loving ourselves and others simultaneously regardless our natural differences. We do miss such spiritual teachers who guide us to the beauty of life, and to rescue us from the swamp of materialism. (check: can we say that?!)
Buscaglia said that “pleasant or unpleasant, Death is the most democratic thing we ever going have to encounter as we live.” I think his message was not to wait, not to put off and waste time, and to celebrate life by fully living the ultimate of it! And as he always shared a poem dropped on his desk by a female student who lost her boy friend in Vietnam war, I would also like to share it with you. Think of it, and waste no more time, because TIME never stops. The poem is called “Things you didn’t do”.
Remember the day I borrowed your brand new car and I dented it?
I thought you'd kill me, but you didn't.

And remember the time I dragged you to the beach, and you said it would rain, and it did?
I thought you'd say, "I told you so." But you didn't.

Do you remember the time I flirted with all the guys to make you jealous, and you were?
I thought you'd leave me, but you didn't.

Do you remember the time I spilled strawberry pie all over your car rug?
I thought you'd hit me, but you didn't.

And remember the time I forgot to tell you the dance was formal and you showed up in jeans?
I thought you'd drop me, but you didn't.

Yes, there were lots of things you didn't do,
But you put up with me, and you loved me, and you protected me.
There were lots of things I wanted to make up to you when you returned from Viet Nam.
But you didn't.

Ali Saleh Alryami
Ali_alryami@hotmail.com