Writing on the Subject of:

On our fear at looking at our mortality:

We have this notion of me and my solid life - here I am, "me," in my secure life - and somewhere on the border of that is this threatening thing called "death." There is this "me" that I know and love - and then there's "death," out to get me. Death is out there somewhere, in the distant future hopefully - more hopefully still, it is way out in the very distant future! We think, "At some point - but not not now! - I am going to have to relate to this thing, because I know it's out there, and eventually it's going to catch up with me." It is as if our life were a line that grows longer and longer over time. Inch by inch, we fight to extend it, until eventually the Great Scissors comes and -chop!- that's the end of our particular line. We know that no matter how hard we try to extend our life, in the end it is a losing battle. But we are afraid to let down our guard.

Compares life and death to an inhale and an exhale:

Our life begins with an inbreath and ends with an outbreath. So our breath has weight; it is fraught with meaning. It is not just dead air. With each breath, we can feel that contrast of life and death, that slight edge of discomfort. When our breath goes out, it just goes; it doesn't come back. Every time that happens. there is a subtle threat, a tiny flicker of doubt. "Wait, I'll hold a little hit of you back, in reserve, just in case. I need you. Don't just go!" And when we breathe in, we think, "Thank heavens! You've come back! I'm still alive!" It couldn't be more basic.

Being vulnerable to experiences and accepting death:

When we leave our comfort zone and enter unknown territory, what happens then? Do we experience anxiety, restlessness, or boredom? If so, how do we deal with it? What is it that makes this experience uncomfortable? Notice how difficult it is to stay with it. When we enter unknown territory, rather than immediately trying to pin things down, we could try pausing and letting things remain undefined for a moment. Even taking that simple step can begin to loosen our habitual fear of the unknown and undefined.
The more we familiarize ourselves with such undefined moments, the more we can learn to relax with the many gaps in our experience. Instead of covering them over and living in fear, we could make friends with the constant transitions that mark our lives from beginning to end, with no interruption whatsoever. In effect, we are learning to accept death as our constant companion in life.

Death denial by keeping busy:

We think that if we are busy enough, doing important things, there will be no room for death to sneak in. We have evaded death so far by keeping occupied - and now we are afraid to stop.