Living before dying or Dying before dying?

Every morning, the haunting image of the old waxified beehive tomb outside my window serves as a stark reminder of a slow demise that didn't happen overnight. Examining old pictures reveals a gradual process, taking months, if not a year, for the colony to dwindle and succumb to 'waxification'. The cause, as per expert opinions, points to the queen bee deserting the colony—an intriguing mystery in itself. A slow death preceding the final demise, rooted in the absence of the life and purpose giving presence of a queen.

https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-inner-rot.html

Reflecting on our involvement in HIV work during the early 2000s unveils a different aspect of slow death. In the pre Anti-Retroviral (ART) era, individuals without access to ART or those presenting too late faced a gradual decline due to the debilitating destruction of the immune system. The body, stripped of its protective mechanisms, couldn't fend off opportunistic infections. However, stories of resilience emerged when individuals, particularly women, presented early in the disease's progression and gained access to ART, escaping premature death. A slow death due to the internal collapse of protective mechanisms.

 

https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2023/12/stories-worth-listening-again.html

 

Nature, too, showcases instances of slow death, where insects and animals are zombified by parasites or other creatures, ultimately meeting their demise. The emerald cockroach wasp, for example, injects venom into a cockroach, rendering it immobile but alive. The wasp then implants an egg in the cockroach, and the larva consumes it from the inside out, leaving behind a rotting carcass. A slow death caused by the 'zombification' or paralysis of core functions.

https://www.livescience.com/34196-zombie-animals.html

 

This prompts me to ponder on the countless individuals around us who may have lost their "queen bee" (sense of purpose), carry the weight of fears and anxieties that suppress true living, (an inner destruction) or are paralyzed by toxic influences and behaviours. A metaphorical dying before dying. But with a semblance of living well externally, but internally dying or dead! 

 

Yet, this season serves as a poignant reminder of an alternative—an open access to "Living before Dying." Lining well internally and externally. This access which is available in all seasons, points us to the One who offers "Life in all its fullness," inviting us to embrace the richness of life before the inevitability of physical death.

 

Edited by ChatGPT