Death (The Toll of Fate)

Death… a process in which everything collapses, the starting point of the transition from mortality to eternity.

That point which is written into the destiny of every living being and is impossible to erase.

Every created being, from the moment of creation, walks toward it; on the other side of the road, death awaits everyone.

Just as it is impossible to escape it, it is also impossible not to think about it.

You cannot find a single living being, any individual at all, who, knowing of death’s existence, has not thought�"even for a moment�"about this ending called “death.”

How is it possible, how can it be, that humankind, while fully aware of the existence of this dark force, remains indifferent to it, does not turn it into lifelong torment, does not torture itself with it, and still wants to live�"whether little or much, whether sadly or joyfully�"but to live nonetheless?

When fate knocks on our door, even one second becomes as precious as centuries for a human being�"so sweet and so unattainable that it defies all measure.

What is the secret of this contradiction? Why is it that, while sensing that death approaches us every moment, every second, we still wish to live, to create�"in short, to live on, never wanting this allotted share of life to end?

A person comes into this world only once, and today will never be repeated again. This day is irreplaceable.

Everything else will be repeated: birthdays, holidays, work�"indeed, the same joys and the same sorrows. But one thing will never be repeated, only one thing… the day of birth.

Today is the greatest and sweetest gift given to us on the path of life. Despite its pain and sorrow, who has ever had enough of it?

When this beauty is spoken of, even the faintest mental image of a single concept makes the heart of creation tremble, drenches the body in sweat, and fills it with excitement.

That concept is death. Before death, fate knocks on our door; the sound of the toll of fate reaches our ears.

It can seize us regardless of our will, at such a moment that�"who knows�"at our happiest time it may turn our joy into misery and plunge us into misfortune.

It can penetrate the depths of our soul and shatter our hope. Fate… the only concept from which escape is impossible.

Whether you are in the East or the West, on Earth or on Mars, it will catch you�"inevitably it will�"and when it does, it will end your life; that end will be your death.

That death you used to think about, the one you feared.

But it caught you, seized you. The share of life given to you was cut short.

Tomorrow will not come for this day; even your shadow will no longer follow you. The heart�"the mechanism of your existence, closer to you than anyone�"will abandon you and will never beat again, and you will be as though you never were.

There is no need to grieve over this either, for this absence will not cause you pain.

Because you will become nothing. There will still be the tiniest molecules and ions on Earth, but you�"only you�"will not exist. This is death; this is fate!

This is what burns and saddens a person. One cannot digest it within oneself, does not want to talk about it. Somehow, one becomes jealous of creation being destroyed in such a way.

Just think: after your death�"yes, after your death�"life will go on. The sun will greet the Earth every morning, stars will shimmer in their brightness, seas will surge with waves, birds will sing; in short, nature will enchant people�"indeed all living beings�"with its splendor. How could one not be jealous of this beauty?

This is precisely what reveals human helplessness�"and the proof of it is death.

Yet I repeat once more: even while understanding the existence of death, we want to live; and as we live, we realize that with every moment we are moving closer to it.

So a question arises: Why do we live?

Why do we want to live while fully comprehending this truth? Because the desire to live is greater, stronger, than our hatred of death. Therefore, long live the existence of those who live with the desire to live!

 

Habil Yashar