Creative Non-Fiction | Inspired to Write | Fear of Death

Death Becomes Us All

A reflection on an article by Dr Mehmet Yildiz, ‘Why Envisioning Death a Few Minutes Daily Makes Me Livelier and Happier.’

It’s quite uncanny that I am reading the attached article by Dr Mehmet Yildiz today. Perhaps the season of Halloween, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and the Day of the Dead has brought the topic of death to the forefront of my mind and feed.

Just yesterday, my nephew shared a video with me depicting the untimely and unexpected demise of four young men. Their sudden and unforeseen passing lingered in my thoughts as I delved into your article. I couldn’t help but wonder if they ever contemplated their own mortality and if doing so might have offered them solace in their final moments. Did those four young men experience any inkling or premonition earlier on that fateful day, this month, or even this year?

This reflection brought to mind ‘The Appointment in Samarra,’ a story I encountered in college, perfectly structured and eternally haunting. It’s about the inevitable meeting with Death; even if we see it coming, we can’t escape it.

I find myself fixating most on the prospect of the deaths of my husband and sons. Being Black in a world where they are often targeted has ingrained this stark possibility into my consciousness. I do not envision their deaths per se; I worry in those moments when I can’t reach them or when I can’t see them. I think about them being stopped while walking, jogging, or driving and know they could be killed if they resist being beaten up and murdered. As you touched upon the notion of evolution, I can’t help but ponder whether Black mothers like myself are inherently predisposed to constantly envisage and fear their children’s untimely demise.

As for my own death, it’s a subject that occasionally crosses my mind, but not as overtly as in your case. I suppose I maintain an ambivalent perspective on it; it’s an inevitability beyond my control, as I have no intention of hastening it myself.

Recently, I’ve been exposed to death in ways that made me pause:

• I saw A Jazzman’s Blues yesterday on Netflix with a friend who insisted I should watch it. SPOILER: it does end with the death of the Jazzman at the hands of angry men or from the jealousy of his brother, depending on how you look at it.
• I watched a security camera recording of four young men being killed in less time than it takes to read this article. This is a writeup about the incident:

• And now I read your piece, and I suppose I see a man straddling this world and the next — manifesting his destiny.

I’m not sure what to make of it all. I worry for you (and me) a bit, though, as I do believe what we focus on, we attract.

But then again, death is inevitable. Can we attract what is coming anyway?

I suppose it could be worthwhile to attract what comes after death.

Final Thoughts

As I prepare to publish this note, I reviewed the original article’s tags, considering the possibility of using them to enhance my content.

Unfortunately, I don’t believe they align with the themes and ideas in my reflection on the article that inspired me.

© 2023 K. Joseph, All Rights Reserved

꧁༒☬T͎h͎a͎n͎k͎ ͎y͎o͎u͎ ͎f͎o͎r͎ ͎r͎e͎a͎d͎i͎n͎g͎!͎☬༒꧂

About K. Joseph

I write creative non-fiction stories on Medium to share change management insights, learn leadership principles, and grow together in our workspaces. Follow. Subscribe. Comment.