TED Talk Tuesday #105 – Life is an enormous gift. Let’s make peace with death

Watching TED Talks is a popular pastime at CN&CO. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations. Each week we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. This week’s talk was posted by CN&CO’s chief señor Carel Nolte who – as we all know – is obsessed with death and living life well.

This week I booked my trip to Palm Springs in December for TEDWomen – and I cannot wait to again be inspired, motivated and contribute in a small way to making the world a better place for all. While booking on the TED site, I came across this wonderful talk. Most of you will know that I am fascinated by death – since it happens to us all. How we talk about death, how we think about it and, ultimately how we confront our own, is a topic I read a lot about. And then I think, talk and write about it – never though, as eloquently as Emily Levine.

“With her signature wit and wisdom, Emily Levine meets her ultimate challenge as a comedian/philosopher: she makes dying funny. In this personal talk, she takes us on her journey to make friends with reality – and peace with death. Life is an enormous gift, Levine says: You enrich it as best you can, and then you give it back.”

I especially like her point about being part of the cycle of the universe – we all have our time to contribute. And mine is now. Not via statues or writings or bursaries or other symbols – but now. The meaning of life, after all, is to live. Live! LIVE!

Emily Levine died recently. What a joy she was, and continues to be.[flowplayer id=”null”]