Death, the Greatest Teacher of Life
If you only had three days left to live, what would you do? Would you head home to spend those final days with your parents? Would you finally confess your feelings to someone you like? Or would you travel, go skydiving, make new friends, and soak in everything the world has to offer? What would you get up to?
Everyone would have different answers. Yet one thing holds true: when we honestly face the fact that we will die, our minds grow crystal clear. We suddenly know what we truly want, what matters to us, and what we need to let go of. We get in touch with our genuine selves. That is the core of what “being‑toward‑death” really means.
Coined by German philosopher Martin Heidegger in his major work Being and Time, “being‑toward‑death”, put simply, means this: once we fully accept death as every human’s unavoidable final destination, we break free from mindless routine. We can then focus on what is authentic and meaningful in life, and live as our true selves.
Heidegger argued that most people do not live by their own true will. We follow other people’s expectations and societal norms, with little idea of who we really want to be. Heidegger calls this state “falling”.
To break out of it, we must face death bravely in our minds and attitudes. Only when we keep in mind that our lives will end can we step into authentic existence. We stop living according to other people’s scripts. This realization grants us real freedom, empowering us to make conscious, firm choices for our own lives.
Some people spiral into anxiety over what others think. Remind yourself: decades from now, everyone will be gone. Those opinions will mean nothing, so there is no point wasting energy on them. Others fear failure. They hold back from hobbies they love or crushes they want to pursue. But we are all going to die eventually. What is there to lose? That thought gives them the push to take the first step. These are all real‑life examples of being‑toward‑death.
Most of us feel young — teenagers or in our twenties. Death feels so far away that we avoid thinking about it. We assume we have plenty of time. We keep saying “later”, “sometime”, “when I get the chance”. But there may be no “later”. No guaranteed chances await us. We never know when death will come.
“Being‑toward‑death” invites us to see life’s finish line plainly, so we wake up to how we ought to live. It helps us sort out our most vital, heartfelt connections. It works like a thought experiment: draw the finish line out in front of you, and rethink how you live right now.
Things you wish you could do in your last three days? You can start them today. That person who popped into your head? Give them a call or shoot them a message right now.
Life is a finite gift. Death’s shadow is not here to devour us. It sharpens and brightens the light of our lives. We do not need to count down every single day, but we can make our days count.
Practice being‑toward‑death. Treat it like calibrating a compass every so often. Readjust your life’s direction, and rediscover your true self buried beneath daily chaos.
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