Memento Mori

So yeah, the nation is going a little nutty concerning the coronavirus (COVID-19). I absolutely agree that we should be observant, cautious, and responsible. What I don’t fully understand is some of the things currently happening such as the toilet paper rush. My guess would be that people are preparing in case of a mandatory quarantine being put into place by the government under emergency measures. I assume that old leaves and pages from a Sears catalogue just won’t do the trick any more. At least everyone will have enough hand sanitizer to spray on their charcoal grills when the fire won’t cooperate a year from now, right?

The title of this blog entry is a Latin phrase and it literally translates “remember you must die”. Figuratively, it is a phrase that signifies a reminder of our mortality and can be symbolized through things such as artwork. It’s an old phrase that dates back to ancient Rome.

Having experienced a horrific motorcycle accident and knowing that I wasn’t really expected to survive, I find it a curious thing to see our society’s reaction to this current pandemic. I sometimes think of my accident as a personal advantage of sorts. I do so because it alerted me to something that was only a “back of my mind” type of reality. It awoke me to the fact that I’m not Superman, I’m not going to outlive everyone I meet, and I’m only going to live in this present body for a limited time.

The accident served to remind me of something that I already knew, but seldom considered; that life is absolutely precious, but also absolutely fragile. It served to remind me that I should cherish each day, but that I should always be prepared to leave this world without hesitation or fear. The truth is that my body will never be the same after all of the painful injuries that I have endured, but my spirit will also never be the same after all of the beneficial lessons that I have learned. And so, “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”.