Two things, there are two momentous “passages” the unavoidable transitions attendant to this life.  Without any question there are two inescapable events that all living must abide, that of birth and that of death.  The first passage recedes in the past, is not even in memory.  The second great transition is ahead. I refer to death.

In one of three surviving letters Epicurus (341-271 BCE) summarizes his teaching to a student.  The language is sharp, presenting with clarity a thinking and a practice that is based upon observation.  The lesson is taken from empirical observation.  With certain conviction Epicurus states a point of view based upon the rigor of sensation, measured interpretation of the effects of the external world upon the five senses.  This is what he wrote about divinity, and about what to expect at the time of death:

(2) For gods there are,
since the knowledge of them is by clear vision.
But they are not such as the many believe them to be:
for indeed they do not consistently represent them
as they believe them to be.

And the impious man is not he who denies the gods of the many,
but he who attaches to the gods the beliefs of the many.
For the statements about the gods are not conceptions
derived from sensation,
but false suppositions, according to which
the greatest misfortunes befall the wicked
and the greatest blessings the good
by the gift of the gods.

(3) Become accustomed to the belief
that death is nothing to us.
For all good and evil
consists in sensation,
but death is the deprivation of sensation.
And therefore a right understanding
that death is nothing to us
makes the mortality of life enjoyable,
not because it adds to it an infinite span of time,
but because it takes away
the craving for immortality.

…So death
the most terrifying of ills
is nothing to us,
since so long as we exist,
death is not with us;
but when death comes,
then we do not exist.

Toward the gods, Epicurus recommends a stance of piety.  He asserts that intuition is enough to convince us of transcendence.  We sense/feel/know the presence of divinity.  Yet, popular religion is impiety masquerading as true faith.  Epicurus would not be a fan of televangelist Joel Osteen, of the “health and wealth gospel.”

What about death, the prospect for eternal life?  Epicurus is not interested.  He says that experience demonstrates the basis for good and evil in the sensations.  Therefore when sensation ceases at death, so do I.  There’s nothing to fear; and there’s nothing on the “other side,” immortality for which to spend this life in divine service.  It is Ok to live without fear of death and without craving for immortality.

This life is enough.

Choose this life, the fine line between pleasure and pain.  I like Epicurus.

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We need a tune to anchor us in the current of life, do we not?  This one is perfect.  Epicurus, advocate for pleasure in this life, would have been a fan.  A music concert anyone?

And When I Die by Laura Nyro.

And When I Die

by Laura Nyro

I’m not scared of dying
And I, don’t really care
If it’s peace you find in dying
Well then, let the time be near

If it’s peace you find in dying
Well then dying time is near
Just bundle up my coffin
‘Cause it’s cold way down there
I hear that it’s
Cold way down there, yeah
Crazy cold, way down there

And when I die, and when I’m gone
There’ll be, one child born
In this world
To carry on, to carry on

Now troubles are many
They’re as
Deep as a well
I can swear there ain’t no Heaven
But I pray there ain’t no hell
Swear there ain’t no Heaven
And I’ll pray there ain’t no hell
But I’ll never know by livin’
Only my dyin’ will tell, yes only my
Dyin’ will tell, oh yeah
Only my dyin’ will tell

And when I die, and when I’m gone
There’ll be, one child born, in this world
To carry on, to carry on
Yeah yeah

Give me my freedom
For as long as I be
All I ask of livin’
Is to have no chains on me
All I ask of livin’
Is to have no chains on me
And all I ask of dyin’ is to
Go natrually, only wanna
Go naturally
Here I go!
Hey hey
Here come the devil
Right behind
Look out children, here he come
Here he come, heyyy

Don’t wanna go by the devil
Don’t wanna go by the demon
Don’t wanna go by satan
Don’t wann die uneasy
Just let me go
Naturally

And when I die, and when I’m dead
Dead and gone
There’ll be
One child born, in our world
To carry on, to carry on