To Light a Thousand Lamps - The Theosophical Society

5
Death: A Doorway to Light
HOW WE THINK ABOUT OURSELVES — whether we have but
one lifetime in which to flower, or whether we have a limitless
future in which to cultivate our hidden strengths and
talents — will have a profound e¤ect on our outlook on
life. People are yearning for confirmation of their intuition
that there is a compassionate order, a harmonious and just
purpose behind everything.
Every human being knows death among family and
friends, prolonged illness, or the grievous distress that comes
when a child or friend becomes a psychological or mental
casualty. A philosophy that takes in reincarnation, that emphasizes
individual moral responsibility and the promise of
ever-continuing growth in love and wisdom, helps enormously.
Then when death comes, suddenly or after long
waiting, it doesn’t hit us totally unprepared, with an almost
terrifying sense of betrayal, as though fate had dealt us a
cruel blow. We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t feel the loss
deeply, and the loneliness, but there come also in the quiet
an inner calm and the profound assurance that ‘‘all is well.’’
Death is not the tragic ending of a life; it is truly an
open doorway to light — both for those journeying to the
‘‘other shore,’’ and for those of us here who must carry on