Our Western Society beliefs put an emphasis on living a long life. We see these beliefs when we compare phrases like, "his life was cut short" when a young person dies, to "well, he was fortunate to have had a long life" when an old person dies. We are sold things that will extend our life, and we have numerous professions and institutions that are dedicated to helping us live a long life. These beliefs are so powerful that when someone who hasn't lived a long life dies, there are often feelings of confusion, injustice, revenge, or anger for those 'left' behind.
Living a long life is not contrary to LOP, I would just say it is secondary. My primary belief about life as I am LOP is about the depth with which I live it. How much of who I really am (WIRA) am I allowing in this moment? How present am I in this moment? How much of the upward spiral essences am I filled with in this moment? How well am I remembering WIRA? Am I believing in WIRA? Am I expressing WIRA? Do I feel the joy and adventure and fun and anticipation and curiosity and appreciation of life? Do I have a sense of peace about most things? When I am on the downward spiral do I see the advantage of it and embrace it? Do I have moments when I am stopped in my tracks because of how green the trees are, how blue the sky is, how funny a bear cub is, how talented a singer is, how perfect that particular moment is? When I LOP, and have depth to my life, each moment is worth a day, each day is worth a year, each year is a lifetime of living.
If the depth of our life was of primary importance we would have numerous professions, industries, and commercials dedicated to helping us deepen our lives. If depth of life was of primary importance then, whether a person had died young or old, we would say things like; "boy he sure knew how to laugh;" "I never felt more understood than when I was talking with her;" "he loved life to its fullest;" "she was always so much fun;" "he just seemed so accepting of everyone around him;" "she was always so patient, never in a rush;" "he loved the simplest things;" "she saw the good in everyone;" or "he just seemed to be having a really good time everyday".
Perhaps if we lived our lives with depth, those of us 'left' behind would be better able to recognize that the life lived fast and high, has just as much value as the one lived long and safe. And finally, perhaps a life of depth will more often lead to an enjoyable 'long' life.
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