The Greatest Gift

On Edge

On the razor’s edge

That’s where I live

Not just standing and looking

I’m jumping instead

I’ve got nothing more to lose

But the rest of my life

Gambling with it all on a roll of the dice

I know the risk

I accept my fate

I think I’ll keep jumping

While I wait.

-1986-

The Greatest Gift

What is the greatest gift we as human beings have been given?

I have been giving this a lot of thought recently.

As I look back on my own life I realize that I should have died so many times and yet, I am still here. 22 years as a Firefighter, four years as a Police Officer, and now a Commercial Helicopter Pilot.

All of these career endeavors carry great personal risk and I have come close a few times to punching my ticket and taking the big ride to meet my maker. But alas, here I am.

I don’t know when or how but someday, it may catch up with me. I would not say that I have cheated death. It just simply was not my time…not yet anyway.

The gift.

Perhaps because I have had more than my share of near-death experiences, I have come to the realization that the knowledge and acceptance of my own mortality is one of the great gifts God has given me. It has forced me to choose to live my life extraordinarily.

Each time I stand on the razors edge that separates life from death, I feel more alive. It is something I call Hyper-living. All the details are clearer, the sounds are more intense, the smells are more distinct; I can feel my life surging with power. I have come to recognize that when I am on the edge I will continue to live even if my mortal body does not survive the experience I am an eternal being. The hyper-awareness that I am experiencing is the closing of the gap that separates mortality and immortality.

Years ago I made the choice to accept my mortality as the price I must pay to experience life. In order for me to continue my eternal progression I had to make the choice to leave God’s side and come here to learn and grow. Perfection is the eternal goal. Physical mortal life is the testing ground. The challenges faced here lay the foundation that the perfection of the complete and total being that I am will be built upon.

It is like the saying “you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.” I need to have the freedom to make decisions as I live my life that will bring out the true nature of who I am, the real me, not the false version I may wish to portray to those around me. I will make choices that can and will show all of my flaws and my strengths. I cannot develop as a human being without breaking some eggs and taking risks.

My mortality is the greatest gift I have been given. It is not because the realization of it makes me fear death. Because death has been my constant companion for so long, I know how to appreciate life. I dream and when I have a dream to pursue, my awareness of my mortality gives me the strength and intestinal fortitude to chase my dreams down and live them. I have made dream chasing a life skill.

Knowledge and acceptance of my eventual physical death makes my life worth living. It is living beyond simply existing; it is living life to the extreme.

I am not suggesting that you must risk your life to appreciate it. Just don’t live in fear of losing it. In the ancient Samurai manuscript the Hagakure it states: “The warrior who embraces his life in battle will surely lose it; the warrior who embraces death shall live.” The simple wisdom here is that if you hoard your life away you will fail to live it.

If you take some risk and experience your life, you own it. Personal risk comes in many forms. Physical risk, emotional risk, spiritual risk, and knowledge risk. All risk has to have some degree of acceptable limits or it moves into the realm of recklessness and stupidity. Life is an exercise in risk management. The sad thing is that many of us choose to squirrel ourselves away in an attempt to live without taking any risk. What a waste of potential.

The knowledge and awareness that I have of my own mortality gives me the power to reach beyond myself; to shatter the boundaries that I have faced in the past and the obstacles that continue to present themselves in the present. I am much more than I perceive myself to be. The only limitations I have are the ones that I create for myself. There is always a way around, over, under or straight through anything that stands between me and what I want to achieve.

Mortality is the clock I have to race against. Wasted time is wasted life. I fully intend to reach the end of my life not content. There is always an adventure to pursue, a goal to achieve, a dream to realize. I have made the choice to live vicariously through myself. Reality TV is our society’s feeble attempt to fill voids in our lives by living vicariously through others. If you are going to waste your life and your potential watching this garbage then you might as well give up and waste away empty and unfulfilled.

Take ownership of your mortality, live your life to your maximum potential, live free of fear. Make the choice and take decisive action to live extraordinarily.