I am pretty sure many of us have given some thought as to “What would you do on the last day of your life?” I have certainly asked myself this question. I feel the answer is simple and difficult at the same time.
Now, of course what we could possibly do depends on whether we are still healthy on that “last day”. Let’s just assume here that we are on this day, and not on a sick bed, for the sake of not limiting the possibilities I am about to expand on below.
Obviously, the time left is quite limited, thus we cannot cram in too many things. So , to prioritize, I would begin by asking myself the following questions.
“What is the most important thing to you in life”
“What kind of time do you want to spend with your most important one?”
“What goals are you yet to achieve?”
We shall approach the above questions in order, since one leads to the next.
①“What is the most important thing to you in life”
What would you say? For me, it is my family and myself.
On the last day of my life, I would like to gather each and every member of my family by my side, hear their voices, see their smiles, and feel their touch.
I would like to tell them how much I love them, that I would always be with them in a certain eternal sense, and would always be watching over them. I will certainly express how grateful I am to each person for making my life until this day so meaningful and rich.
In particular I would like to thank my parents for all that they did for me and the life they gave me, to thank my children for being born to me, to thank my husband for being my best and most trusted friend in my adult life.
It is very important also to remind them that they must not be too sad after I am gone, and that they must take care of themselves to continue to live meaningful lives. I would say to them, “Do you want me to be miserable up there watching you cry? If not, please give me a last gift by just being happy as always, then I could enjoy my time up there.”
The same as above also goes for close friends. For many of us, friends have contributed just as much as family members, if not more so. I would like to gather my friends around and reminiscence childhood or student-days memories together.
I must also not forget to seek forgiveness from all those to whom I perhaps did any wrong, even if it is only in the opponent’s eyes.
The topics I am talking about above are very much related to whether one believes there is a next life or not. I don’t mean to talk about a certain religion here, just about believes for the afterworld in general.
Are you a believer of something is waiting for you in the afterlife? If so, what do you imagine that new world to be?
We humans are weak beings. I believe that is why religion sprang up in many cultures around the world. One doesn’t have to belong to a certain religion to follow the believe that if one is “good” (the definition of “good” varies depending on the context of the belief) during the life on earth, he or she would be rewarded with a next life in a place where one is relieved of all troubles, pain, and sorrows. Of course, to turn this around means that if one does evil acts and do not repent for them, one would be condemned to a dark and suffering world. When we hold such belief, we would strive to be as good human beings as we can , so that we can be “rewarded” by a better life that this one we are plowing through.
Actually, besides the above, I believe in the afterlife for an additional reason. It is simply way too sad to have to part farewell with you beloved ones “forever”. I choose to believe that I am only taking a brief vacation to somewhere else, just as I leave for a few days business trip while my family remains at home. No, there should be no difference.
②“What kind of time do you want to spend with your most important one?”
As mentioned earlier, there is only a certain amount of time during this “last day”, which also means that the time to talk to or interact with each family member or friend is limited. Therefore, I possess the selfish desire to have only my husband by my side during the last few hours. Of course, this is merely the case for me, and should be different for each person. Now, what would I wish to “do” with my husband? Well, first I would hold him tight and reminiscence the days we spent together.I want to go over together the good and hard times we have shared in our long time together. Maybe look over albums and talk over memories.
My husband is my best and most trusted friend in my adult life. We have supported each other through all good and bad times. In the very last minutes, I want to hold hands with him, or embrace each other and say to each other, “how happy we are that we have loved each other so much. Let’s wait for each other. We will be together again soon. Take care!”. In this way, we would not interpret this as a farewell, but only a short time apart, during which we shall enjoy ourselves alone and share them later with each other.
③“What goals are you yet to achieve?”
Let’s ask ourselves when the “last day” gets near whether there something we have forgot to do or say.
This could be something relatively small scaled, such as the following:
Say sorry to my best friend for that last argument after which we did not get in touch as before.
Express your love and appreciation to your loved ones.
Give your plants and valued belongings to those whom you wish to keep them for you.
Return all borrowed items
Spend time doing something you have always wanted to experience, such an expensive stay in a resort, watching the waved on a beach, sky diving, etc…
Spend time doing something (for the last time) you have always enjoyed, such as playing the piano, reading, eating your favorite foods (no worries anymore about carbs or calories!), listening to each of your favorite songs, etc…
Or elsewise, it could be something large-scale, in the sense that it could affect others than yourself or close ones, such as the following:
Sign to donate your organs afterlife.
Donate some or all of your savings to charity for helping children, the poor, the physically challenged (as a way to express thankfulness to all of those in the world who have supported you during your happy life).
We tend to try to accomplish as much as we can when left with little time. This could perhaps be explained by the feeling of “regret”. It is imaginable that we would be saddened about the fact that there is nothing of us left in this world on that “last day”. If we like ourselves and have lived our lives with high self-esteem, as we should, there is a chance that we would wish to leave something as a legacy of our well spent lives.
In this case, we should not wait until the last day of life, but start ahead of time to create something that we can give to this world, before we leave for the next one. After all everyone knows there is a last day to come, soon or later. If we have a kind of legacy prepared, we would not be so sad on the “last day”, and instead have good enough spirits to do the other items on our list.
The ”legacy” I mentioned above by no means have to be some great creation. It could be a diary to record your thoughts and everything that you did each day. It could be a letter (or letters) written to your beloved ones. Videos or voice messages could also replace the letters.
I myself enjoy writing books. Although the books are not related to myself or my life, but are rather related to my career as a professional in scientific and education. Since I put my heart into producing those books, they serve as some reminder of me, at least in my comprehension, which is good enough.
Here I would like to take a detour and take a moment to tell you about a movie I once watched. It is about a girl who, after having gone through brain surgery after a disaster, could not remember anything that happened the day before. I was impressed by how she resorted to recording down everything she has done and everyone she has talked to or enjoyed some time with. In this particular movie, she chose to write down only happy thoughts, so that when she looks back on her life, she and others can see herself as a happy person and be satisfied with her life.
I was moved by this positive take on a tremendous hardship in life, and I was very stimulated by it. That was when I began to keep a diary myself and told my husband to read this after I am gone one day. I wish to leave to others a record of the meaning of my life. I would want to record honestly the mistakes I have made, and hope others learn from them, so each one can live a happier life than mine.
Lastly, here are some other things I would like to start “ahead of time” (now!) in order to Build up a proper environment or habits to start my “last day”.
Lead a healthy life so that I can be strong and well to do all those things I mentioned here.
Get up on time each morning to open the window and enjoy the morning sun.
Do not overwork, but rather indulge in activities I enjoy, such as reading, drawing, running, etc…
To end, I would like to say that I always remind myself that even if tomorrow might not be the last day of my life, I shall always strive to live each day as if it’s my last.
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