Tigers, Mice, and A Strawberry

We’ve all felt the deep existential fear of death before. Sometimes it makes us feel alone, afraid, and even lost.

Imagine what life would be like if you could be at peace with your own mortality, so much so you could actually enjoy a strawberry in the face of death itself.
     
The fear of death and lack of presence is where suffering persists. Those who learn to truly become present are those free from the burden of the fear of death, and thus can truly live.

“We really shouldn’t be here at all. Considering that we are here, and considering that we really won’t be around all that long, even if we die of extreme old age, should instill a profound sense of appreciation for the present moment. There is no staying off that cliff; there is no avoiding those tigers forever. The mouse of inexorable time is chewing away at our lifeline moment by moment. The only choice is whether or not we will notice, eat and enjoy the strawberry. Because whether we enjoy or ignore it, we’re still getting eaten by that tiger.”
-Dr. Munr Kazmir
https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/the-tiger-and-the-strawberry-b73de1dccf19

“Tigers above, tigers below. This is actually the predicament that we are always in, in terms of our birth and death. Each moment is just what it is. It might be the only moment of our life; it might be the only strawberry we’ll ever eat. We could get depressed about it, or we could finally appreciate it and delight in the preciousness of every single moment of our life.” — Pema Chodron