May The Angel Of Death Find You Fully Alive

The most recent senseless mass shooting, especially in our own backyard, poses a lot of questions, most fundamentally, how do we live a productive and joyful life in the midst of so much fear, violence, sadness and uncertainty?

Is this violence the cause or the effect of the current political divide in our country, the pandemic that has caused over half-million deaths, huge wealth disparity, or the many homeless that force us to avert our eyes from the panhandlers on every corner, and homeless camps under every bridge?

I am not here to offer easy solutions to this complicated problem, but I do know this: fear is baked deep into our reptilian brain, and the fear of death tends to paralyze us in the face of what seems to be life’s randomness, whether it be in the form of a neighbor killed in an inexplicable act of violence, or the loss of a loved one from a virus.

Philosophers throughout the ages have recognized the negative grip of fear on our lives and thus, instead of advising us not to be afraid, have counseled us to shift our focus from the fear of death, to the fear of not living our lives to its full potential. Hence the age-old advice: “Joyfully Participate in the Sorrows of the World,” as reflected in the ancient blessing: May the angel of death find you fully alive.

— Sina.