In Love with Death
Summary:
Death is the inevitable fate of every single person on earth. How do we accept the inevitability of our own death? How do we live our lives with meaning? Will money lead us to happiness? Satish Modi examines these questions and more in a moving, powerful, thought-provoking work based on his own reflections as well as the experiences of people from all walks of life. The result is a fascinating book that teaches us that whoever we are and whatever our aspirations in this life, it is important for each and every one of us to accept our own passing. In doing so, we free ourselves to live as fully as possible, guided by the principles of goodness, love, and compassion. (Summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review courtesy of the publisher.
Review:
This book is thoroughly disconcerting. I found quickly that I could not read the book at night because it would keep me up thinking (and panicking) about mortality. The book has no quick answers, no proofs or explanations. It does, however, interview various people from around the world on their view of death and how that shapes the way they live. It sounds dark, but truly the stories encourages you to think long and hard about how you live your life. It was a fantastic book in the sense that I will be thinking about it for years to come, but it was not comfortable to read.
Mortality isn’t something that people think about in anything, but a passing sense most of the time. This book drags the questions no one wants to discuss to front and center and makes you really consider them. I disagreed strongly with some of the speakers, but really enjoyed the chapter “On Trees”. I’d highly recommend this book if you think you can handle being uncomfortable, but keep a teddy bear nearby. I cannot say that I am "in love with death", but I have started thinking hard about the questions posed.
Warning: Will keep you up at night and possibly creep you out.
Rating: 4 stars!
Who should read it? People looking to come to grips with their own mortality.
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