STARING AT THE SUN by Irvin D.Yalom

In this volume, Yalom once more makes us truly pause for a while and confront one’s mortality. I know it’s not a pretty subject but nevertheless, it’s a necessary one to contemplate.

Those with strong religious convictions most probably won’t resonate with Yalom’s therapeutic approach that ignores the fantastic element of any potential afterlife and focuses on the more reachable, authentic appreciation of everyday life that comes particularly from having this present death-awareness at all times.

In short, Yalom believes that we are definitely better off “staring” at death than pretending it’s not there. The frightful realisation of death can make us cherish our limited life more, initiate change, encourage self-refection and improve the overall quality of our everyday life.

But with that comes anxiety too. The author therefore references the 3 non-supernatural arguments of Epicurus that, over time, helped patients feel more at ease:

• the mortality of the soul

• the nothingness of death

• the symmetry argument

I personally resonate more with the symmetry concept and I realise it’s not nearly enough to make me feel better about death, but maybe we’re not even supposed to.

Death is dark and final, just as life is light and wonder. Take both for what they are.

“Everyone is destined to experience both the exhilaration of life and the fear of mortality.”

“Self-awareness is a supreme gift, a treasure as precious as life. This is what makes us human. But it comes with a costly price: the wound of mortality. Our existence is forever shadowed by the knowledge that we will grow, blossom, and, inevitably, diminish and die.”

“... sooner or later she had to give up the hope for a better past.”