Death is an Adviser.

From one of my all time favorite books,"Journey to Ixtlan" by Carlos Castenada. This book had a huge impact on me when I read it when I was 17 or so.

Chp 4 Death is an Adviser.

"death is our eternal companion," Don Juan said with a most serious air. " It is always to your left, an an arm's length.
....It has always been watching you. It will until the day it taps you. How can anyone feel so important when we know that dealth is stalking us?" he asked.
" The thing to do when you're impatient" he proceeded," is to turn to your left and ask advice from your death. An immense amount of pettiness is dropped if your death makes a gesture to you , or if you catch a glimpse of it or if you have the feeling that your companion is there watching you."

I told him that I believe him and that he did not have to press the issue any further because I was terrified.He had one of his roaring belly laughs.

He replied that the issue of our death was never pressed dar enough. ANd I argued that it would be meaninless for me to dwell upon my death, since a thought would only bring discomfort and fear.

" you're full of crap!" he explained. "Death is the only wise adviser that we have. Whenever you feel, as you always do, that everything is going wrong and that you're about to be annihilated, turn to your death and ask if that is so. Your death will tell you that you're wrong; that nothing really matters outside its touch. Yo ur death will tell you :'I havent touched you yet'.


...."It doesnt matter what the decision is,"he said." Nothing could be more or less serious than anything else. Don't you see? In a a world where death is the hunter there are no small or big decisions. There are only decisions that we make in the face of our inevitable death."