Would a severe tragedy destroy your life?

"The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing is to be taken too seriously."
- Nicholas Butler, American educator (1862–1947)

Nothing about our lives that could change at a moment's notice should be taken too seriously.

Your job could disappear unexpectedly. Your car could be totalled in an accident or a fire could make it worthless within minutes. The life of a loved one could be snuffed out in the time it takes to receive a phone call.

The death of a loved one shouldn't be taken seriously? Or, worse, the loved one shouldn't be taken seriously? An explanation of not taking something too seriously is in order so that we can make sense of this quote.

The quote says "too seriously." That should mean "life-ending" or "life-destroying."

We have all heard of people who say that they couldn't live without their lover. Most, though it would be last on their list of possibilities, could indeed survive and make a new life. It happens to many people. Some can't cope with their loss and demonstrate this by suicide or depression that compromises their immune system to the extent that they die of some disease within months or a few years. That's too seriously.

Life, by its nature, must carry on. Survival is our most basic instinct. We, as components of the life on this planet, must be prepared to carry on and build a new life when a loved one dies.

Is that absolutely necessary? Would the world be lessened by the loss of one more life?

That's not necessarily a moral question. It could be a practical question. If you and many others were aware that someone you know wanted to commit suicide, how many people do you believe would advocate leaving that person alone to end his life? The answer would be unanimous or close to it, some intervention would be essential.

As awkward and unpleasant as it may sound, each of us would do well to think about the possibility that a sudden tragedy could alter our lives. If our life had to be changed due to one of those unpredictable events or sets of circumstances, we should at least have some idea about how we would cope with it. Coping is how we get through tragedies.

If we don't have a plan, tragedy could wreak more havoc with our life than is necessary, maybe even ending it or bringing more tragedy to our loved ones who would survive the tragedy.

They don't deserve that. You don't deserve that.

Bill Allin
Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for Today's Epidemic Social Problems, striving to help everyone be prepared for the eventualities of life.
Learn more at http://billallin.com