A good death

Dear Edahn, 

What is a good death?

A GOOD DEATH IS a product of a clean conscience. When you die knowing that you've lived trying to do the right thing and live honorably, you can die with dignity and peace. That kind of death is poetic and beautiful. It's the kind of death that touches people's heart.

How do you do the right thing? You don't have to worry about something like that because you already know how to do the right thing. That knowledge is like a shadow that follows you everywhere you go. Stop and listen.

Some people wait until the very last minute of their life to start listening to their conscience. It's at that point that they often realize that they've been leading someone else's life and chasing someone else's priorities. Then they realize the stuff that has always really been important to them: kindness, care, connections, intimacy, forgiveness, silence. Ask yourself "What's important to me? What moves me? What touches my core?" Questions like those might break your heart, but a broken heart is an open heart. That's the recipe for a good life and a good death.