Saturday, May 9, 2009

The Bravest Thing that One can Do

This might surprise you but the bravest thing that one can do is to live to very old age.

Watching all the loves of one's life slowly suffer and die along with friends and family is not an easy thing to do.

When I was young I used to wonder why most old people were sad. Now I know. They have buried most everyone they loved or cared about except maybe their children and Grandchildren(hopefully). The sadness in older people is much less about their health and more about the loss of their era, their movie stars, their friends, their relatives and most of all their parents.

So, unless young people are sick, dying young from just taking too many chances is a very selfish thing because of all those they will leave behind that will always suffer their loss as long as they are alive.

People who live long lives don't necessarily do this for themselves but for their spouses, children, friends and for the people they mentor along the way.

People who have lived long enough to know that one young death often causes many others either physically, mentally or emotionally.

Even though I have survived two divorces, each time this happened it was like dying myself and having to find a way forward. And each divorce since it involved children having to survive each divorce just made it harder to survive. But for them I always chose to live on and find my way forward even when I couldn't do it for myself.

So, in the end the bravest thing one can do is live a long life and take care of all ones children, relatives and friends in the best way one can find to do.

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