When Do We Die?

Summary

The article reflects on the concept of death, suggesting that true immortality is achieved through creating lasting impact and being remembered for one's contributions rather than physical existence.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses a deep connection with music, particularly jazz, and its ability to resonate with the soul. Through the experience of listening to Amy Winehouse, the author contemplates the permanence of artists' legacies beyond their physical demise. The piece argues that death is not about the cessation of life but about being remembered or forgotten by future generations. It posits that individuals who dedicate themselves to their passions and talents, leaving a sincere and meaningful mark on the world, achieve a form of immortality. The author finds personal resonance with this idea, having left a stable career to pursue creative writing, a decision that is seen as a path to the immortality of the soul and a life lived with purpose.

Opinions

Music, especially jazz, is a profound and integral part of the author's life, providing emotional and spiritual expression.
The author believes that the impact of artists like Amy Winehouse, Freddy Mercury, Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles continues long after their deaths, as their work keeps them alive in memory and influence.
The article suggests that physical death is not the end of existence; rather, one truly dies when they are no longer remembered by others.
Leaving a legacy through sincere and dedicated work is seen as the key to never truly dying.
The author has a strong conviction that pursuing one's unique talent and purpose, such as their own commitment to creative writing, is the "golden road" to immortality and meaningful living.
There is a wistful desire to meet the talented individuals of the past in some form of afterlife, where their greatness could be appreciated in person.

Remembrance and existence after physical disappearance

I’m fond of music. I’m not a musician but a good listener in my tone and style.

Jazz is my music. It speaks to my soul and expresses what I cherish inside. Some other genres enter my world from time to time, funk, R&B, reggae, and less often pop. But jazz is the permanent resident.

I listen to music while writing, driving, walking, or cooking, and some nights for the sake of music, with the accompaniment of a glass of wine. I don’t imagine what kind of hell the world would be without all those good songs.

Recently, I listened to Amy Winehouse, just by chance. She is not someone I listen to frequently, but I feel struck when I hear her voice, just like last night. I heard Love is A Losing Game and listened many times repeatedly. Her unique vocal style is impressive, heartfelt, and touching. Her songs are even more poignant, with knowing her harsh life.

I remembered that she had died years ago at the age of 27, leaving her unfulfilled talent and the auspicious possible future behind. She is not breathing in our world and hasn’t a visible body anymore. But when I listened to her song, I didn’t feel that she was dead. It’s so with Freddy Mercury, Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder, or Ray Charles as well. They are not dead, nor other giants.

Death is not something related to physical existence on Earth.

Death is about being remembered or forgotten. You’re dead if you’re overlooked in others’ minds after your funeral. But if you’re recalled even years later, you’re not dead.

If you have lived your life leaving your footprints sincerely and with care, putting all your talent in it, you never die.

Platon, Herakles, Leonardo Da Vinci, Picasso, Dostoyevsky, Dickens, and hundreds of people haven’t really died. Every day we think about what they produced and left for us.

I feel that the way of being alive forever is finding the unique thing we’re born for, which emerges the best self of us. For me, that special thing is creating and expressing through writing; I have no doubt. I don’t regret even a second to have quit a 20 years career to dedicate myself to creative writing. That choice is the golden road to the immortality of my soul and the best way of living a meaningful life.

However, it would be great to see also physically those talented passed-away people someday, somewhere. I’m sure in that life they would be great, too.