Titanic

"Fifteen-hundred people went into the sea, when Titanic sank from under us. There were twenty boats floating nearby... and only one came back. One. Six were saved from the water, myself included. Six... out of fifteen-hundred. Afterward, the seven-hundred people in the boats had nothing to do but wait... wait to die... wait to live... wait for an absolution... that would never come."

                                            -Rose Dawson (Titanic)

     When we were assigned to write an entry discussing a movie which deals with death, one movie in particular came to my mind right away, Titanic. Not just for the obvious fact that thousands of people died when the ship sank; there are much less tangible forms of death that took place throughout the movie.
    
     Titanic:

     a. Having great stature or enormous strength; huge or colossal

     b. Of enormous scope, power, or influence

      It is ironic that a ship with such a strong title would endure such a catastrophe on its maiden voyage. 1,514 perished in the Atlantic Ocean that night, swallowed up in the infinite blue depths. All 1,514 of these people experienced one form of death, physical death at more or less the same time. As the ship sank, they must have realized their impending doom...sadly, the first life boats were entirely given to people of the higher classes. Those of lower class were doomed from the start, they never even stood a chance.

There are three forms in which death can present itself.

    

     The first, physical, is when the body itself is completely shut down, no longer a living being. This is what the massive amount of people experienced during their demise in the icy waters. Jack experiences physical death near the end of the movie, as he slips from Rose's hand and sinks below the surface of the water into the dark blue abyss. Rose tries to have her own physical death when she attempts suicide. She felt that she had lost control of her life, and the only way out was death. Thankfully, Jack changed her mind.

     Next, psychological death, is the reversible termination of one's personal aliveness (Kramer, 18). Rose experiences psychological death when she is oppressed by her mother and fiance. She is forced to succumb to their every wim, and is never allowed to express herself. Rose was a part of high society, but her heart did not belong there.She is a woman born before her time.

     Lastly, spiritual death, is a reawakening of one's self. Rose is finally able to express her true desires upon meeting Jack, her true love. He, like her, has a passion for art. Eventually, the passion transforms into a love of one another. Jack's gift to Rose before his tragic end, was that he allowed her to come out of her shell and live life to the fullest. Rose survived the wreck, and was one of only 710 survivors. She went on to pursue her true passions, and even changed her last name to Jack's (Dawson) in honor of him. Rose lived on to enjoy painting, riding horses, and raised a family. She finally realized life is what you make it, and no one could ever take that from her.

  

    In my opinion, Jack is the most fully "alive" character in the movie. He was the life of the film, a spontaneous, passionate man. He and Rose had the the time of their lives together, during their short-lived love affair. He showed Rose what life was about. By the time Jack got Rose to open up, they didn't care what others thought about them. Rose saved Jack's physical life while he was chained up in the lower level of the ship as it sank. It's too bad it would be in vain, but the last hours they spent together were invaluable. When he died, physically, i feel as though he transferred his zest for life to the one true love of his life, his muse, Rose. I feel this especially since Rose took his last name, she symbolically kept part of him alive in her.

Works Cited

Enright, D.J. The Oxford Book of Death. Oxford [Oxfordshire: Oxford UP, 1983. Print.

Kramer, Kenneth Paul. The Sacred Art of Dying.: How World Religions Understand Death. NewYork,  NY [u.a.: Paulist Pr., 1988. Print.

Porras, Jerry L. Stewart, Emery and Mark Thompson. Success Built to Last: Creating a LifeThat            Matters. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Pub., 2007. Print.

Love it or Lose

"He who pretends to look on death without fear lies. All men are afraid of dying, this is the great law of sentient beings, without which the entire human species would soon be destroyed."

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) Julie, or The New Eloise

(Enright, 22)

      The first quotation in this chapter of Enright's The Oxford Book of Death ironically impacted me more than just about every other. This statement is just so unbelievably true. If humans did not fear death, we would have no hesitation in killing ourselves at any given moment. Thus, our species would quickly become extinct. It is the very fear itself which protects the survival of mankind. As much as many of us have come to despise the idea of dying, the thought keeps us alive in a sense. We will do just about anything to keep our bodies functional, at least i know i certainly would.

"When I think that my body will be put into a coffin, that the lid of the coffin will be screwed down and i will be buried under earth, I am horrified."

Alexander Sergeyevich Buturlin, 1915

(Enright, 26)

      I myself have been tormented by this same thought that horrified Buterlin. The irreversible manner of the whole thing absolute freaks me out. Even thinking about it now, I am getting anxious. The fact is the whole idea scares me to death (no pun intended). To be underneath the ground, becoming sustenance for worms and insects seems like a rather harsh end to it all. Spending an eternity six feet under does not appeal to me. And so, I have long thought about being cremated. After much consideration, I have decided that too is not for me. I mean is having your body burnt to a crisp truly a better alternative? I realize I will not be alive to experience either event, but thinking about it now petrifies me.

"For every person who is half-hearted about their work or relationships, there is someone else who loves what they're half hearted about."

                                                            (Porras, Emery, Thompson, 35)

     "Love it or Lose"; chapter two begins with this title. Although there is always talk about the importance of loving what you do, most people simply don't see this as a possibility, but more of an unaffordable luxury that is far out of their reach. This view needs to be changed. If people are not choosing the job which truly peaks their interest, they are not performing at their maximum capability. It is imperative that you are having fun in your profession, and not just a performing robot. Their is something called "the flow experience". Immersed in this "flow", you become unaware of time and what's around you, completely engrossed into the task at hand. This, is what everyone should strive for when seeking the perfect career.

"We spend our health building our wealth, then we desperately spend our wealth to hang onto our remaining health."

Robert T. Kiyosaki (Porras, Emery, Thompson, 38)

       Before reading Kiyosaki's opinion, i had never thought about this; however, it completely makes sense. We all at one point or another are somehow sacrificing our quality of life in order to hopefully build a better future. The problem is, while aspiring for an exceptional tomorrow, we are not appreciating what we have today! Learning to live in the moment and not take life for granted is something many of us need to do. This is a problem for me, I'm constantly reminiscing on the past and hoping for the future to be better than right now. While making some goals for the future is certainly important, I should be concentrating on the here and now. When Kiyosaki states that we "spend our wealth to hang onto our remaining health," he means that the hard work that we put into building our futures takes a toll on our well being. Once we have achieved wealth, we end up having to spend it in order to keep ourselves healthy.

"Let your eye go to the sun; your life to the wind; by the meritorious acts that you have done, go to heaven, and then [for rebirth] to the earth again; or, resort to the waters, if you feel at home there; remain in the herbs with the bodies you propose to take."

                                                                          A Vedic Mantra, (Kramer, 39)

      Hindu's have a deeply compelling stance on death. Their culture believes that the outer body, including the skin, bones, muscles, nervous system, and brain, falls away (Kramer, 37). The "Subtle Body Sheath", which consists of "karmic" tendencies like knowledge, breath, and mind, which coats the "jiva", or psychic sub stratum, begins to fall away. Following death, at first the jiva stays near or in the body, before detaching itself and entering a reality conditioned by its earthly life-cravings (Kramer, 37). Eventually, the jiva enters a state of bliss until it takes on a new body and experiences a rebirth. Personally, i hope this is the case. I could not imagine never being able to live again prior to death. Maybe living forever is not the most desirable fate, but surely being given a second chance at life would be a wonderful thing.                       

Works Cited

Enright, D.J. The Oxford Book of Death. Oxford [Oxfordshire: Oxford UP, 1983. Print.

Kramer, Kenneth Paul. The Sacred Art of Dying.: How World Religions Understand Death. NewYork,  NY [u.a.: Paulist Pr., 1988. Print.

Porras, Jerry L. Stewart, Emery and Mark Thompson. Success Built to Last: Creating a LifeThat            Matters. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Pub., 2007. Print.

Beginning

"Every extraordinary person has a particular mission which he is called upon to fulfill."

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
(Enright, 5)

     While reading D.J. Enright's The Oxford Book of Death, this particular quote stood out to me. Wolfgang von Goethe is implying that any individual person of great potential has a particular purpose, and when their duty is fulfilled, the person can rest peacefully. He goes on to explain that afterwards they are no longer required in the "living" form of existence.

"So where shall i be when i am no more?"

-Ivan Ilych (Kramer, 16)

    

      Something struck me as I was reading the quotes in Enright's book. Many of the people who wrote or spoke the words about death have long since passed away, therefore, they have actually experienced death. However, due to the fact that they have died they cannot explain to us how it really is. It is ironic in a way since they strived so hard to explain death during their lifetimes...

    

     Perhaps, there is something beyond what we have come to call "life". What is death anyways? The inevitable conundrum is that we could never know for certain, or could we? One problem: Once

we die, we cannot possibly convey the circumstances of death to our family and friends. Personally, i would like to believe although the "physical" aspect of life as described in Kenneth Kramer's The Sacred Art of Dying ends, that our mental capacities remain intact. It would be comforting to know that i would be together with my family at the end, and forever after that.

     We try so diligently to put a mask on death; to disguise it so it cannot torture us with the feeling of impending doom. Kramer explains that "American culture has turned its back on death," (Kramer,14). to Countless Euphemisms have been dreamed up in order to help us cope with our loved ones passing. Just a few of the names we have given death over the years:

• Passed on
• Croaked
• Kicked the Bucket
• Six Feet Under
• Rode into the Sunset
• Out of his/her Misery

    Obviously, none of these descriptions of death seem as harsh as calling someone flat out "dead". It seems less permanent in a way, although death is certainly anything but temporary. "Death is the irreversible termination of all essential bodily functions," (Kramer, 14).

    In order to be able to fully accept death, we must live a fully satisfying life. The start of the book Success Built to Last tells a few inspiring stories of how important people managed to "create a life that matters". The real takeaway from this reading is that to truly be satisfied with your life, you must define success by what makes you happy, instead of the typical dictionary definition.

     The standard description of success as described in the dictionary:

1. The achievement of something planned or attempted
2. Impressive achievement, especially the attainment of fame, wealth, or power
3. Something that turns out as planned or intended
4. Somebody who has a record of achievement, especially in gaining wealth, fame, or power

     This description of success may be unattainable, as well as not enjoyable to the unique individual. The most vital component of success is happiness. The pleasure a person receives from the actual act of working is key. If you are willing to do something not because you get paid for it, but because you are enjoying yourself as you do it, then you have found your calling.

    

Works Cited

Enright, D.J. The Oxford Book of Death. Oxford [Oxfordshire: Oxford UP, 1983. Print.

Kramer, Kenneth Paul. The Sacred Art of Dying.: How World Religions Understand Death. NewYork,  NY [u.a.: Paulist Pr., 1988. Print.

Porras, Jerry L. Stewart, Emery and Mark Thompson. Success Built to Last: Creating a LifeThat            Matters. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Pub., 2007. Print.