Die Well

Every time I read this quote, it smacks me in the face.

When you choose to stay quiet.
When you take the safe path.
When you hold back your expression.

Each of these is a tiny betrayal. One that piles up over time, until all that’s left is resentment in old age.

The scariest realisation I’ve had is that life doesn’t punish you for playing it safe. In fact, it rewards you. You get comfort. Stability. The illusion that you’re doing just fine.

You build your life just right. Perfectly calculated, perfectly risk-averse. And then one day, you realise the castle you built became your cage.

Life is good.

Or is it?

That quote is from Dr. James Hollis; a Jungian psychoanalyst, still practicing in his 80s, and one of the most piercing thinkers alive today. His book A Life of Meaning is incredible. Read that shit.

He talks about the people who come to him in old age, with death growing all around them. The ones who took risks, who lived boldly, who stepped into the unknown, they meet death with grace.

The ones who didn’t? They meet it with fear, bitterness, and regret.

Don’t neglect your own life out of fear. No one else pays that cost but you.

Live boldly. You’ll be rewarded in ways you can’t yet see.

It’ll be scary. Do it anyway.

Cheers, Don’s and Donnettes