III. Death

Human mortality has always been and always will be an enigma that every human being must face and rectify to him- or herself. Death binds all humans together, and yet it tears us apart with its mysterious touch. I ponder my mortality when the beasts of my own creation trample me to the ground. For my entire life, I have been bound by the benevolently placed chains that hold me and keep me from self-destruction. These chains come from society, from family and from teachers and friends. They accumulate over a life so that once a person reaches adulthood, he has pre-established boundaries that minimize the potential his free will gives him to destruct. I find myself tugging at the chains of life that bind me and keep me safe. I pull and I twist my chains to feel pain and to put myself as close as I dare to the mystery of death. The conundrum of free will characterizes human existence: We long for free will, and yet it kills us. We cannot live meaningfully and safely without guidance and education; but each word of advice we receive and each rule that binds us usurps a bit of our free will.

Any Life measures favorably against death. If it did not, we would choose death over life, for the option is always within our power, even when we have nothing else left. Death is no more sinister than anything else; death is simply nothing.

Life is intrinsically valuable, or we are programmed in such a way as to believe that it is. Therefore, every human has a primary interest in survival, and every other need follows survival at various levels of importance. Comfort and freedom are human beings' two fundamental needs in Life, but survival is the first criterion for every choice we make.