I often ponder this. As a pagan I see death as part of the natural cycle. Something that will come, and when it does should be embraced as much as possible. All life has value, and should be savoured as much as possible, but we are just parts of soemthing bigger, with no knowledge of what (if anything) comes next. And that's fine. It is part of what it means to be mortal. All we can know is that we know nothing, really. All we can do is act in peace, offering love and support to other beings we share this planet with. Kindness and consideration and thought for others, so that when the time comes, we can look back and know we did our best.
I love this piece and your meditation on those lines.
And I've always thought the final stanza was the key to understanding the poem. It wasn't written by a man close to the end, but by a man facing the fear and grief and panic of losing a parent. Whether he would himself rage against the dying of the light, or recommend it to his contemporaries, was beside the point: he wanted, needed, for his father to want to stay with him more than to be ready for death. Not a mediation on one's own death, but on losing a parent.
Love this piece Ann. Perhaps what Dylan Thomas meant was to not give up on life prematurely but to remain vital and passionate until the very end? But I'm with you, I hope to approach the end of my life, whenever that time comes, with acceptance and grace 😊
How perfectly refreshing and needed..please consider the trauma related to elderly people with no DNR..orders..they are brought back to life thru the most violent procedures and its so terribly unessary for the person may be technically alive...but is it best..I would like to advocate for everyone at time of admittance to long term facilities to watch a video of a rescue effort and no time lapse or filters..it's sobering to say the least..and not what I would choose for myself or anyone...
I often ponder this. As a pagan I see death as part of the natural cycle. Something that will come, and when it does should be embraced as much as possible. All life has value, and should be savoured as much as possible, but we are just parts of soemthing bigger, with no knowledge of what (if anything) comes next. And that's fine. It is part of what it means to be mortal. All we can know is that we know nothing, really. All we can do is act in peace, offering love and support to other beings we share this planet with. Kindness and consideration and thought for others, so that when the time comes, we can look back and know we did our best.
I love this piece and your meditation on those lines.
And I've always thought the final stanza was the key to understanding the poem. It wasn't written by a man close to the end, but by a man facing the fear and grief and panic of losing a parent. Whether he would himself rage against the dying of the light, or recommend it to his contemporaries, was beside the point: he wanted, needed, for his father to want to stay with him more than to be ready for death. Not a mediation on one's own death, but on losing a parent.
Love this piece Ann. Perhaps what Dylan Thomas meant was to not give up on life prematurely but to remain vital and passionate until the very end? But I'm with you, I hope to approach the end of my life, whenever that time comes, with acceptance and grace 😊
How perfectly refreshing and needed..please consider the trauma related to elderly people with no DNR..orders..they are brought back to life thru the most violent procedures and its so terribly unessary for the person may be technically alive...but is it best..I would like to advocate for everyone at time of admittance to long term facilities to watch a video of a rescue effort and no time lapse or filters..it's sobering to say the least..and not what I would choose for myself or anyone...