Chapter Thirty-Seven. The Brevity of Life

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In the ancient Indian epic poem the Mahabharata (sometimes described as the longest poem ever written), the wise king is asked, “What is the most wondrous thing in the universe?” His reply is unexpected, especially to our western ears. The king says, “The most wondrous thing in the universe is that all around us people are dying and we don’t believe it will happen to us.” We disbelieve death because we are afraid. So we find ways to tune out the reality of limited time. Mostly, we get on with the task of living our day-to-day lives. And the distraction works, until the cracks appear. Like when James told ...

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