In Death,There Is Life (Part 6).

On 19 March 2011, I almost died.

I was driving on a three-lane highway coming back from Kuala Lumpur after eating ‘Yong Tau Foo’ at Jalan Ampang.

I was driving on the fast lane at a speed that was, let’s just say – normal.

In other words, fast.

It was dark and drizzling.

Suddenly, in the distance, I saw five cars piled up in an accident.

I jammed on my brakes – but the car did not stop. It continued to move forward at an almost heart-stopping pace.

It was almost like watching a frame-by-frame photo finish of a car race.

In this case, I was watching my car skidding on the wet ground towards the silhouette of a small saloon car.

It was the loudest bang I’ve heard for a long time. Fortunately, the seatbelt and airbag prevented me from being thrown out through the windscreen.

The front and interior of my car were in smoke. I had to run out of the car for fear that something worst might happen.

I stood in the rain, with bright car lights all around me. The traffic was moving at a snail pace, with curious people staring at all of us.

All around me, people were screaming different instructions. Children were crying loudly in the bushes nearby.

I was shell shocked. It was later at the police station I realized I escaped three potential deaths.

If I were driving a car like the one in front of me, I would not have an airbag. I could have died on the spot.

It was also fortunate the car in front of me was adjacent to the car before it. When I crashed into it, it swerved into the centre lane.

Thankfully, it had not been sandwiched between two cars, and another car had not crashed into it in the centre lane.

If that happened, quite possibly the lady passenger in that car who was carrying an infant and not using a seat belt could have been killed.

I could have become a murderer.

I was also told it was fortunate a huge vehicle did not crashed into the back of my car. Otherwise, it could have smashed all the cars together and caused all of them to explode in flame.

I’m grateful and thankful our Creator had saved me and given me a new lease of life. After staring squarely at death and at a close range, I have a deeper appreciation of life.

I’m more committed to live by the proverb, ‘Dream as if you‘ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.’

I plan to start my life all over again… and again…

Having new beginnings constantly is a necessity to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Death

The reality is that no matter what background one comes from, every human will come face to face with death. It can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time.

Many people do not want to think or talk about death. Some believe it will bring about a bad omen.

I humbly beg to differ.

I believe if I don’t understand death, I will not understand life.

I must be willing to face death and what happens thereafter to be able to live a better life.

It is strange but truth that we cannot fully appreciate life if we do not realise that death may just be around the corner.

If we don’t think we will die, we will never transform ourselves to live a better life. In the same way, if we don’t think we will lose, we will never want to change.

If we want to live, we need to die to ourselves so that we can live for a mission that is much bigger than ourselves.

A life without dreams and purpose is mere existence. Not having something to look forward to is worst than death.

We live only when we have a sense of purpose and destiny.

It is unfortunate that in the process of making a living, we may not remember to live life. There is a greater fear for death than for not serving a worthwhile cause and living a full life.

Knowing that there is a deeper meaning in life makes us feel alive. It lends significance to our being and helps us live with passion and fulfillment.

I am not afraid of death. I am more afraid that I am not living the way our Creator wants me to live.

I am more afraid of not having anything that is worth dying for.

If I cannot have something that is worth dying for, it can also mean that I have nothing worthwhile to live for. That, to me, is worse than dying.

If we are willing to die for our dreams and freedom, very few obstacles can hold us back.

When we live up to our calling and the world knows that we are totally committed to it, we will be able to soar stronger and live on a higher plane.

When I reflect on death, it has a sobering effect on me. I’m mindful that life can disappear like the turn of a moving current.

Today could very well be the last day of my life.

The thought of facing death jolts me to live life at its best and to give of my best to the world around me.

I do not want to waste any part of my life. I do not want to exist or go through the motion of a typical day.

I want to inject life into living. I want to fully experience everything good and cherish them.

I want to learn how to live life at its best – moment by moment.

I want to live every moment as if it is the first and the last moment.

I want to be mindful of every moment and do everything I can to live it out as the most fulfilling moment.

I do not ever want to take life for granted.

If our Creator gives me one more minute to live, I am grateful for it. I want to value my life and treat it with more care.

I want to do what He wants me to do and be fully committed to it. I want to do it with a sense of urgency and be passionate about it.

If the experience of time is relative, I want to see how I can stretch time by maximizing its enjoyment and fulfillment.

I want to not only live every moment to the fullest but to also enjoy it while it lasts. I want to savor it in every way and and to the greatest intensity.

What’s more, I want to accentuate and sustain the learning experience. I can do so by recording them in my journal and anchoring them in my memory.

It is sad that in the past I have allowed many of these valuable moments to pass me by. I do not want to let another precious moment slip through my life again.

Even if there are challenges, I want to go and grow through them.

Death also has a way of lending poignancy to the highways and byways of our memories.

It reminds us that we have many unfinished businesses with some people and the world around us. We need to close the files before time runs out on us.

Being mindful of the brevity of life, I will manage my life, and not just my time. I want to do well and do good at the same time, all the time.

As long as I live for another day, I endeavour to craft a fairy-tale ending for my life. I will give myself to what truly matters.

Life is not about how long I live but whether the good that I have done will last beyond my lifetime.

Throughout my life, I have gone through many near-death experiences. They have become some of the best ‘teachers’ and transformational experiences in my life.

They taught me to be grateful for life and look after it. They compel me to make changes to the way I have lived my life.

The next time I come face to face with death, the story of my life would be flashed across my mind. When that happens again, I pray that I will enjoy the mental movie.

I pray that way before my turn to go, I would have done all the necessary preparation. My loved ones would be well taken care of.

When the time comes for me to die, the time for death will then be for death alone. I pray that I will have no regrets to cross over to a better place.

I have carried out the plan of our Creator and lived the way He wanted me to live. I look forward to playing in the heavenly playground.

Death is not the final act. It is just another door to exit from this life and to gain entry into a much better one. It does not have any place of fear and anxiety in me.

If I have lived a meaningful and fulfilling life, death is but a cue to start a symphony of love, joy and peace. A celebration that will last forever.

Life and death should be seen from the perspective of eternity.

Living for what truly matters begins right now.