Death and Motivation

In the west there is a taboo surrounding death. People don’t want to talk, or even think, about it. Most funerals are incredibly somber, very uncomfortable events. They are one of the few remaining places where people have to face death. Places where people must face taboos often reveal insecurities. While death is often ignored in the west it is approached differently in the east. Nowhere is this more clear than the Buddhist religion. Buddhism maintains a strong connection to death. So strong, in fact, that they have a Nine-Point Meditation on Death.

Nine-Point Meditation on Death:

Truth 1: Death is certain.

1. We cannot escape death.
2. Each moment we’re alive brings us one step closer to death.
3. Death comes in a single instant and is unexpected.

Truth 2: The time of death is uncertain.

1. The duration of our lives is unpredictable.
2. There are more causes for death than causes for life.
3. The human body is extremely fragile.

Truth 3: The only thing that can help you at the time of death is your mental and spiritual development.

1. Wealth we’ve accumulated can’t help.
2. Friends and family can’t help.
3. Our bodies can’t help.

Self-improvement gurus, like the Buddhist, often advocate “embracing death” as a motivational technique. After all, what does anybody have to lose if they are going to die? Why would anybody be afraid to ask for a promotion given they are going to die in the future? However, this motivational technique also causes the user to ask: “Why would I ask for the promotion if it will not help me in death?” The user of the technique then applies this question to all of life. They realize no achievement or object is going to help them in death. This realization causes a depression because “nothing is worth doing if I am just going to die.” Next thing you know, the technique has caused a depressed individual, and not the motivated one it was meant to create. I propose this technique be framed differently.

The user should not be looking to make more money, improve their career or acquire a larger estate. None of that will help them life after death. What they should be looking for are experiences that will help them in life after death. For example, instead of desiring more money, desire the experiences that more money grants. Instead of desiring an improved career, desire the different experiences that a career upgrade will allow. Death is like the future; both are unknown. Nobody can see the future, but by gathering experiences, by stepping out of their comfort zone, people can better prepare themselves to face the future. Each successive experience grants them more confidence that they can handle any future. They aggressively left their comfort zone and survived over and over again. The mental certainty gained from a collection of experiences can be applied to the future and death. The accumulation of experiences gives the confidence to welcome death when he is on the doorstep. Death is adversity. By acquiring experiences people become more certain in their ability to handle that adversity. They can then welcome death, knowing that it is just another experience. They know they can handle it because they have pushed themselves to the limits in life.

So I challenge you to go out, garner experience, beat adversity, challenge yourself and grow your comfort zone. That way when death arrives at your doorstep you can welcome him with open arms and say, “Death, you are just another experience I will conquer”