My Personal Experience of Death

          “As you struggle with the mystery of death, you will discover the meaning of life.”

                                                                                                                - M. Scott Peck, M.D

          Death is inevitable. No one could ever foretell the exact time that someone will die and no one could ever avoid of dying. No one is capable of escaping death. Death will always be part of one’s life. It is a natural phenomenon for all the things that exist in this world as we know nothing last forever.

Well, many of us have experienced what we so called “near death experiences”. They say that it is a situation in which one’s soul was out of the human body for some physiological disorder that will absolutely caused death if it can’t be retrieved as soon as possible. However, fortunately for me, I have never experienced this particular scenario of near death situations yet like any other persons in the world I have too experienced the other way of experiencing death.

          The first sorrow of my life was the death of my best friend-- IVY TALIPAN last December 26, 2010. This was the first time that one of the most treasured persons in my life has passed away and definitely IVY and our friendship was the best and priceless gift I ever had in my life. Even though we are no longer seeing each other and do sharing our joy, laughter, happiness and pains but still our friendship will last forever. IVY will always be in my heart, all the memories we had will remain in my mind and heart forever. At first, sadness ruled my world when I encounter such death, such dreadful event of my life. Yet, as time passed by, little by little, the wound of sadness healed but it created a mark, a scar in my heart and mind. Luckily through acceptance, this scar of mine somewhat turned into a tribal scar. By that time, I have accepted what had happened to me so there are no more sign of sadness, grieve, hurt and suffering can be extracted to the scar but it is now a symbolism for fighting and learning.

          I then realized and reached to my mind about the non- fiction novel, Tuesday’s With Moore by Mitch Albom. I have read the novel yet when I was reading the novel I was not so touched or melted by the emotional scenes in the story. I haven’t practiced what should one must be learned after reading the novel that somehow be planted to every reader’s heart. The main reasons perhaps are that during that time I am reading the novel I have never been in a situation of losing someone very special like my best friend or even I haven’t encountered death so far, I have never personally experienced seeing and watching my family member who is dead and I was so happy in my life at that time that I forgot of knowing what death really means. Luckily, God made a way for me to realize the essence of one’s life and that is the way for me of knowing what death means. After losing my best friend I was then caught by myself about the lesson’s given to Mitch by his professor, Moore, who is dying and in the end he really died yet converted Mitch into a better person. I have then realized, Ohh!, life is really too short so I must live like I am dying, I must live my life to the fullest and treasure every seconds of it. I was then in a state of cloud nine!

          I must face death every moments of my life because of doing this I make my life more fruitful. I looked back to my best friend’s death; yet, I saw a “good thing” happened to me of encountering that deathly scene that despite of those hurts and sadness felt, I become more familiar with the thought of death. I can say I did grow into a better person after that first sorrow of mine. It helps me to strive harder and do the best I can do. I think every day or every hour as if my last and treated it as a gift from God that I am still here writing this reflection paper, in a good health and breathing the breath of life given by the almighty God. I have realized after facing death that it produces myself to love more of what we so called--- LIFE. I then live with courage and confidence. Generally, my personal experience of death is not all about suffering, grieve, hurt and sadness but is more about learning--- to face life through facing death. Acceptance of dying is an important recipe of living. I always bear in my mind that I came from dust and through dust I shall return.