True Maturation, Wisdom - Accepting what is Conventionally "Unacceptable"

     “When we accept our impermanence, letting go of our attachment to things as they are, we open ourselves to grace. When we can stand calmly in the face of our passing away, when we have the courage to look even into the face of a child and say, ‘This flower, too, will fade and be no more,’ when we can sense the nearness of death and feel its rightness equally with birth, then we will have crossed over to that farther shore where death can hold no fear for us, where we will know the measure of the eternal that is ours in this life.”
       Simmons P. Learning to fall. The blessings of an imperfect life. Bantam Books, NY, 2000.

     "For the dying, the fear of death has at least two facets. One is the universal fear of personal extinction. The other is related to the particular process of death; the diseased person fears the manner in which death will occur rather than death itself. For the physician, on the other hand, the fear of death may reflect a sense of impotence, a defeat as a physician. In addition, the physician may also feel the universal fear of death itself and a possible identification with the dying person, especially if the patient is in the prime of life.”
       Seravalli EP. The dying patient, the physician, and the fear of death. N Engl J Med 1988; 319(26): 1728-30.

     “Be always mindful of what you are doing and thinking. So that you may put the imprint of your immortality on every passing incident of your daily life.” Abd’l-Khaliq Ghijdewani, 13th century Sufi
       Walsh R. “Essential spirituality. The 7 central practices to awaken heart and mind.” John Wiley & Sons Inc, NY, 1999.

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