An article I read at the website "The Federalist" had one paragraph I felt hits the mark on why having a deeper understanding of life helps guide us through the darker phases of it.
As Kate, Anthony, Robin, and so many other entertainers show, even giving joy to others, in the end, is not enough. So in the end, why bother? How can we not be defeated when we set our eyes on the brokenness of this world? The answer: to fix our eyes on another world. The writer C.S. Lewis famously said that, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” If we believe this life is all there is, the darkness will blind us to the majesty and beauty of life.
What we "fix our eyes on" in this world can be the difference in whether we feel surrounded by hope or despair.
Maybe you don't necessarily need to believe in a traditional God, but there must be Some Thing in our being for us to set our sights on and look up to that's indestructible and eternal. That thing cannot be another person or product of a person(s) because as we all know, persons and their products are not indestructible nor eternal.
The only Thing inside myself that I've glimpsed as being indestructible and eternal is the soul. And it might sound crazy but I don't believe it belongs to us. As I watched the soul of my mom depart I felt like a witness to a solar eclipse. A shift of perspective occurred before my eyes that was felt deep in my soul. I was stilled by a familiar presence as it passed before me.
There was light, then shadow, then light again. Some Thing happened that connected with and touched me the viewer. Some Thing was making Itself known again to me; a reminder if you will. It was wonderful. Maybe if we know what it means to die a glorious death we can envision what it means to live a glorious life.
The article reminds me of a quote I used to put at the bottom of emails. It's from the society called "The Christophers" - A single sunbeam is enough to drive away shadows.
What Took Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain Wasn't Mental Illness by Caroline D'Agati
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