Reflective Essay: Why Do People Have To Die?

There came a time in my life when I experienced an event that made me realize what death really meant. When I found myself asking, why do people have to die? What does it mean to live? What happens when you die? When the man who was always there for me and taught me almost everything I know died, I realized what death was and what it meant to live. My family was told by the doctors that he only had a few hours to live because the surgery failed. I was in shock by the news. Why? This surgery was supposed to help him. He had been sick for weeks and they told us surgery was the only option. Now, I was being told that I could see him one last time before he passed away. I was so confused, I just kept asking myself why him? I made my way to the room and mentally prepared myself for what I was about to see. As I grasped the shiny doorknob, I slowly turned it and pressed the door open. I was immediately hit with a …show more content…
At that moment, I truly realized what it meant. It meant that I could never talk to him ever again, or see him. It meant I could no longer go to his house every weekend to spend time with him. It meant that he could no longer tell all of his life stories. I just kept reminiscing about all the memories we had together, about to cry, I put my hands on my face and I started to see phosphenes. They were so colorful and lively, but when I took my hands away they disappeared. That is when it hit me, Is that what life is? I realized that life was like phosphenes. Life is like those temporary beautiful flashes of color and intricate designs. I came to realize that my grandfather’s life was a phosphene, he truly enjoyed his life. He lived his life without regrets and was loved by everyone who knew him. Even in the end of his life, he was able to keep a smile on his face. Like the phosphenes, my grandfather 's life eventually faded. He was able to show me how I should live my life and was able to have a happy