A Dying Monk’s Last Piece of Advice
Honouring death reminds us how to live
Have you ever thought about what your last words on Earth might be?
It’s humbling, isn’t it?
If you’re lucky, you might impart a piece of wisdom like Bob Marley did to his son.
“Money can’t buy life.”
Or perhaps you’d take a leaf out of Oscar Wilde’s book and make one last witty comment before you’re gone.
“My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go”
For most of us, having the perfect one-liner at hand when the curtain falls is probably unlikely. But a dying monk managed to do just that when he said:
“If I could only give one last piece of advice, it would be: don’t lose your sense of humour. It’s not that life isn’t serious. It is serious. But without a sense of humour, any paradise is hell. And with a sense of humour, any hell can be a paradise.”
It’s so great. And something I’ve experienced personally.
When things got really tough with my brother, we would often end up in fits of giggles because we were working 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, living off one shared microwave meal a day, and digging ourselves out of debt.
And during my 14 years of travelling the world, I’ve visited some of the most beautiful places on Earth and felt alone while being in some of the grimiest places and feeling alive.
Having a sense of humour during these times has been a life-saver.
So, don’t forget to smile today. Don’t forget to laugh either. While you’re at it, sing, dance, and enjoy this crazy ride until you wake up tomorrow and do it all again.
“Life as it is should be enough of a reason to laugh.
It is so absurd, it is so ridiculous.
It is so beautiful, it is so wonderful.
It is all sorts of things together.
It is a great cosmic joke.”
— Unknown
Great article! I whole-heartedly agree 😃