226 / Death

The world of Nature is the ultimate reality that sustains all life. Wherever we look within that world, it is amazing what coruscating fecundity of life we find. Whether we look in the deepest oceans, or in the forests, or in the deserts, life abounds.

And life abounds, within the world of Nature, because within the world of Nature, death does, too.

It is a commonplace of human understanding (wise people know it) that too much effort to avoid death can result in losing life. Bob Dylan had a specific instance in mind when he wrote this song, but the lesson is a general one:

Let Me Die In My Footsteps

I will not go down under the ground
'Cause somebody tells me that death's comin' 'round
An' I will not carry myself down to die
When I go to my grave my head will be high,
Let me die in my footsteps
Before I go down under the ground.