Self-realization is an important part of an individual’s life that is not always straightforward to achieve. At some point in life, many people tend to think about their purpose, and it is good if they have a clear image of what they should do to accomplish their mission in the world. It is much more complicated when people do not see their purpose clearly because this can cause an array of mental issues or sometimes be a reason for unhappiness.
In some cases, however, a sense that death is nearing can clarify one’s mind about the matter. This essay will discuss the question of whether or not aware of one’s approaching death affects self-realization, and hypothesize that it does.
It appears that an increasing frequency of reassessment and self-analysis furthers the understanding of the constituents of self-realization. In the book Intoxicated by my Illness, the author proposes that by approaching the end of his life, he became more conscious about human existence in general and his existence in particular. Indeed, it appears that in realizing one’s finite nature a person, one comes to question oneself about whether one has lived a good life and if one has accomplished enough to be “ready” to die. In the author’s case, he did not feel he had fully accomplished enough, but it made him “concentrated as a diamond” (4).
What one can discern from this is that the awareness of nearing death sets a clear deadline that was previously invisible. Having no date by which one should achieve self-realization, at least to a certain degree, seems to make an individual less concerned with his or her purpose. On the other hand, the knowledge of the approximate date on which a person is going to die initiates a mental process of “connecting the dots,” as famously formulated by Steve Jobs (Stanford University).
The awareness of imminent death also seems to enable people to seek closure and pushes them to fill the rest of their lives with the events and achievements that matter to them. There are widely known English phrases for the activities of someone who is soon to pass, such as “getting things in order” or “making final arrangements.” The notion of being prepared for what is to come is naturally linked to self-realization in the sense that people consciously try to achieve as much as possible in the period of life before life itself ceases to exist for them. Broyard mentioned in his story that prostate cancer made him finish the book he was writing, which is a vivid example of that (2).
The desire to finish what has been started seems to be an innate mental feature that drives actions and differs from person to person. Self-realization may include child upbringing, career, self-development, or acquisition of traits or knowledge. All of these aspects often seem to be protracted, as there is rarely a deadline for them, yet death creates a deadline and makes an individual rush to complete them.
On the other hand, there might be a religion-induced mindset that can incorporate a different understanding of self-realization. Toews, in conveying the story of her father, connects his last days with Mennonite beliefs and argues that these beliefs made him somewhat disinclined toward his life on earth (113-115). In light of this, one might take the view that life may not have an ultimate concrete and single purpose, and an individual may not seek self-realization if he or she has instructions on how to live.
Rules and regulations seem to relieve people of having to wonder about the purpose of life and one’s place in it, as doing so might breed complications and unnecessary mental issues. Consequently, provided that one’s adherence to these rules is strong, death might not be a significant factor that can affect one’s mindset. The reason for this is that many religious beliefs have a concept of an afterlife, the nature of which changes depending on the “quality” of behavior in the earthly life. Under such a paradigm, there is no need for self-realization and ultimate purpose beyond the requirement to uphold a status quo.
Yet, if observed from another angle, self-realization does fit into a religious worldview through serving God. Individuals achieve closure at the end of their lives if they did not sin, atoned for their misdeeds, or committed enough godly acts to balance out their misconduct. Thus, it seems that when nearing the end, a person will still try to reassess his or her life from the standpoint of the value system they have. This can be compared to having taken an exam and calculating one’s score to know what grade to expect.
In terms of religion, the closure or achievement of the ultimate purpose appears to be not something one could achieve in one’s lifespan, but instead something that extends to the afterlife. Only reaching Heaven or Valhalla or Nirvana can bring satisfaction to a person and form a logical conclusion to his or her earthly path. In abiding by God’s commandments, one progresses on the path to this place, which seems to parallel the process of self-realization.
What probably puts the issue in a slightly different context is the notion of self-fulfillment as an achievement that may be sped up or assessed at death, but is essentially a continuous path throughout one’s life. This idea is relayed through the plot of a movie called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty directed by and starring Ben Stiller (IMDb). One might propose that regarding death as an endpoint or an exam where one must summarize and evaluate his or her achievements is highly dependent on one’s understanding of life.
Yet the search for meaning should continue to make one’s life more exciting and more filled with emotion, which is demonstrated by the protagonist in the movie. Still, it is important to be able to reassess one’s life goals and priorities, not necessarily only on one’s deathbed, but throughout one’s life so that one does not regret anything at death and not have a chance to correct one’s course.
In conclusion, an awareness of death does affect self-realization if one uses a finite paradigm with a concrete goal. Although reassessment of one’s life often happens regardless of the chosen framework, the final sensations and feelings might differ. Thus, if the goal- and achievement-oriented thinking is applied, there seems to be a necessity to accelerate the process of “checking off” meaningful boxes.
In a worldview dominated by religion with a strong emphasis on the afterlife, self-realization is a process that transcends the limits of earthly reality, but which does not eliminate the painful process of near-death self-assessment. Finally, one could adopt another paradigm that might change the meaning of life and death by introducing a continuous and fluid cycle of re-evaluating priorities during one’s lifetime. Under such a model, the significance of death for self-realization seems to be less pronounced.
Works Cited
Broyard, Anatole. Intoxicated by My Illness: And Other Writings on Life and Death. Edited by Alexandra Broyard, Ballantine Books, 2010.
IMDb. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” IMDb, n.d. Web.
Stanford University. “Text of Steve Jobs’ Commencement Address.” Stanford News. 2005. Web.
Toews, Miriam. “A Father’s Faith.” Dropped Threads, edited by Carol Shields and Marjorie Anderson, 4th ed., Vintage Books, 2001, pp. 111-115.