The Death Compass
...and why the end of life is north
“A compass needle aligns itself and points toward the top of Earth’s magnetic field, giving explorers and lost souls a consistent sense of direction.” - Molika Ashford
And there it is, Molika et al., “lost souls a consistent sense of direction”. One could argue that’s an accurate description of what we are doing here- navigating the field, trying to find ourselves and our purpose before the clock runs out. Sometimes, we make our next move with purpose, and sometimes we find ourselves stuck, unclear on which direction to choose.
Might I suggest handy tool for your trip, no purchase necessary? No money anyway, you must only acknowledge and accept your mortality. This can be a big ask, but I guarantee once you see this tool in action, you will want to use it daily.
The people that know this without being told are often the people who know their time is short. Suddenly, there is urgency, a due date and a pile of would-be-regrets to cross off the list. That list also goes in reverse - sometimes to-dos get removed. What once seemed so urgent is now trivial in comparison to the things that death has so helpfully pointed out as the most important.
These people that are dying, or even the people who aren’t dying but understand this already - they tell us this truth, loudly and beautifully, but often we are not ready to hear it. Death is over there, with somebody else. We have time. Except maybe we don’t.
Here is what Death-as-Compass is not (sorry in advance):
An invitation to eat fruit and lounge around all day every day
Encouraging gloom and doom spirals as a way of life
Signing off on frequent and dangerous kamikaze adventures
and so on…
Unless of course you have determined at the end of your life, that is how you want to be remembered and the legacy you want to leave behind. I am a firm believer that our destiny is a choice, so by all means do what you must. Which brings me to…
Here is what a Death Compass is:
Choosing who you want to be at the end of your life and making as many choices as possible that align with that outcome.
That’s it! So now, an assignment.
WHO do you want to be at the end of your life?
An author
A partner
A philanthropist
A healer
A parent
A leader
A nomad
A …..
Imagine your funeral. What do you want them to say? What legacy is most important to you? Make that list and there’s your North. Now, when you are confronted with a choice you can check in with your compass, and follow the path that gets you closer to where you want to be.
Best of luck, my lost soul compatriot, and remember to enjoy the journey.
