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Thank you. Did any readings or practices help you?

by dottjt 2y ago

elcritch 2y ago
Regardless of your religious background, the Book of Job is deep, and sort of boils down to “Why not you? There’s much you don’t understand”. I myself became Eastern Orthodox about 15 years ago, which has a somewhat different view of death than Western European Christianity (1). There’s also an acceptance that death occurs and that we prepare for it in our hearts, while still believing that death isn’t “natural” state. It’s a dichotomy of beliefs, but helped me accept both the reality of death but a hope for more. I pray and also love the funeral prayer in Orthodox Churches of “may their memory be eternal”. Very beautiful. I also find the Stoic philosophers (Marcus Arelius, Epictetus) to hold to an acceptance of death and similar views of preparing oneself for it as Orthodox do. They discuss the concept of “memento mori” (2) which plays a big role in Stoic Philosophy. They focus on directing one’s internal emotions to gratitude of time with loved ones and settling anything weighing on your heart, if I understand them. At the end of the day, both focus on preparing ourselves to realize we can die any moment and really don’t have any “right” to life. That it’s better to view each day as such and to find gratitude and peace with loved ones while you can instead of focusing on ourselves and expectations of life. We can and should feel sad and disappointed but also to not become lost in it. Apologies for the poor writing. I’m writing on my phone and well it’s a hard topic. My mother passed away last year way too young and there’s always a feeling of loss. May you find peace friend. 1: https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/spirituality/sickness-suffering-and-death/death https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/spiritualit... 2: https://www.stoicsimple.com/stoicism-death-facing-fears-of-mortality-with-stoic-beliefs/ https://www.stoicsimple.com/stoicism-death-facing-fears-of-m...

Thank you. Did any readings or practices help you?

by dottjt 2y ago

Thank you. Did any readings or practices help you?

Regardless of your religious background, the Book of Job is deep, and sort of boils down to “Why not you? There’s much you don’t understand”. I myself became Eastern Orthodox about 15 years ago, which has a somewhat different view of death than Western European Christianity (1). There’s also an acceptance that death occurs and that we prepare for it in our hearts, while still believing that death isn’t “natural” state. It’s a dichotomy of beliefs, but helped me accept both the reality of death but a hope for more. I pray and also love the funeral prayer in Orthodox Churches of “may their memory be eternal”. Very beautiful. I also find the Stoic philosophers (Marcus Arelius, Epictetus) to hold to an acceptance of death and similar views of preparing oneself for it as Orthodox do. They discuss the concept of “memento mori” (2) which plays a big role in Stoic Philosophy. They focus on directing one’s internal emotions to gratitude of time with loved ones and settling anything weighing on your heart, if I understand them. At the end of the day, both focus on preparing ourselves to realize we can die any moment and really don’t have any “right” to life. That it’s better to view each day as such and to find gratitude and peace with loved ones while you can instead of focusing on ourselves and expectations of life. We can and should feel sad and disappointed but also to not become lost in it. Apologies for the poor writing. I’m writing on my phone and well it’s a hard topic. My mother passed away last year way too young and there’s always a feeling of loss. May you find peace friend. 1: https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/spirituality/sickness-suffering-and-death/death https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/spiritualit... 2: https://www.stoicsimple.com/stoicism-death-facing-fears-of-mortality-with-stoic-beliefs/ https://www.stoicsimple.com/stoicism-death-facing-fears-of-m...