Thinking of death as beautiful seems a strange thing in
a world where fear rules many of our feelings toward it.
People fear possible pain, suffering, or struggling.
They fear
dying too soon, or even too late. They fear dying in a
way that negates the way they lived, or changes how
people view them.
People fear
not being able to accomplish certain things; of what
life will be like once they are gone. And of course,
people fear what will happen to them after.
Death is such a taboo subject in many cultures that it
is simply avoided. But not everyone is okay with that,
and many provide insight on the beauty of death to open
people's minds to a different perspective on the
subject.
There are discussions, books, videos, and so
much more.
Called The Life of Death, the above short
video was hand-drawn by Marsha Onderstijin, an
animator and storyboard artist from the Netherlands.
The
video, which was well received among many animation
festivals, tells the story of the day Death fell in
love with Life.
The video follows a recognizable but more approachable
version of death as "he" goes about his day as death
does.
The story will open not only your mind, but your
heart, allowing you to accept death as a natural,
beautiful, and necessary thing.
The simple artistry of the film makes it more
digestible.
We see death in the form of a loving
companion as opposed to something overwhelmingly
terrifying to the point where we cannot even fathom it
for fear of losing our immediate sense of calm.
Death resembles more a child in this video than a
horrific and powerful force.
He goes about
touching animals in need of peace and eternal rest with
an utter unknowing of what he is doing. And when he
comes around to the reality of his actions, he is pained
to find that when he touches what he loves, he loses it
forever.
Rarely is death represented in human form, and so, when
it is, we find ourselves more easily able to relate.
The video may
cause tears to well up in your eyes, a chill to crawl
down your spine, and the hair on your arms to rise, but
for the first time, when it comes to death, that feeling
won't necessarily be bad, but simply different, and
maybe even beautiful.
Enjoy watching the above short film, and share it
with anyone who you feel may need a new perspective on
the subject to take the fear of death away.
Alexa
Erickson
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