A Sufi remembers that death and life happen each moment. The Sufi believes in the premise, ‘Die before you die.’ It means being ready to die at any moment with no past regrets or future worries.
Hence the wisdom here is to live each moment in totality, in its full measure. Then, when the moment ends, there is no pain, because living in the moment has been complete and absolute.
Steve Jobs said: “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”
Just the idea of death has a cleansing effect, instantly eliminating the non-essential while illuminating the essence.
This is the power of death. Rather than invoking fear, death actually brings freedom. Freedom to do, say and experience what matters.
The thought of death keeps us humble. It urges us to create a life we want, so that we may have no regrets.