Are you ready for death? How many of us go through life, busy, busy, busy, not at all prepared for the inevitable? In Love With Death provides beautiful reminders to cut through materialism and focus on what matters most, which will see your happiness and clarity of life soar like never before.
The ideas and stories Satish Modi shares in this beautiful little book can actually make you see death as a positive force, one which directs you toward a life that is more conscious, more connected, more inspired to share your true self, your love and kindness.
Modi not only shares fascinating stories from ordinary people that have inspired him – on subjects ranging from Time, Music, Trust, Money, Grief, Faith, Fighting Disease, Beliefs about Heaven, and How to Live a Good Life – but also quotes famous people like Gaugin, who wrote, “Life is hardly more than a fraction of a second. Such little time to prepare oneself for eternity.”
In Love With Death starts by asking you to write down your name and your date of death, and work out just how much time you have, so you don’t waste any. This book gives one much food for thought, without spouting any specific way to act or think or approach spirituality. Many different opinions are shared – leaving it up to you to pay more attention to how you are living your life and preparing for your eventual death.
SATISH MODI is a philanthropist, educationist, industrialist, and author who divides his time between London and New Delhi. He is respected for his entrepreneurial approach to international business. Here he answers questions about In Love With Death:
Q. Why is the subject of death in particular so fascinating to you?
It’s not a question of fascination. Death is a reality. Everyone who is born is meant to die. We are here in this world on a lease of just a few years. If one understands this fact, then all problems in this world appear very tiny. Focusing on death and on the brevity of life changes our perception of life and of the happenings around us. Of course, this answer cannot be encapsulated in a few words – the reader has to go through my book to grasp the exact meaning and essence of what I am trying to convey.
Q. In your book, you illustrate how to determine how close you are to death using a fork, a knife, and a saltshaker. Where would you place yourself on your own ‘timeline?
I would place myself on my own timeline, according to which, I have already lived 80% of my life and 20% remains.
Q. How did your perception of your own “death date” inspire you to write this book?
The perception of my own death date did not really “inspire” me. The inspiration came from a Buddhist spiritual lady from Japan who mentioned that she knew me from a past life. Of course, the awareness of my death date did help me to crystallize my thoughts – understanding that all of us are just visitors to this world and we are here only for a limited time – so why not make the best of the given life by living it in goodness, love and humility.
Q. What is “reverse living?”
This is very important. We should consider that today is the first day of the rest of our life. We should think about what lies in front of us and try and forget about the past.
Q. What do you think is the “secret” to living a fulfilled, successful life?
Everything in this life will pass. True happiness does not lie in money or in the material world. “Death,” which is often ignored or treated as a forbidden subject, should be viewed instead as a catalyst to living fulfilling, meaningful lives. This present journey is a precious one – so why not live it in goodness, gratitude, humility and kindness, fulfilling our responsibilities with good thoughts, words and deeds.
Q. Should people fear death in any capacity?
If we were to live forever, life would be unbearable! People should not fear death. It is bound to happen any time, any day and at any place. This is the universal truth.
If one has lived a good, worthwhile life in purity and goodness, one should not fear death. To quote from my book, “Just as an Olympic athlete could never win without proper preparation, so we cannot achieve the goal of a peaceful final departure unless we are ready. After years of preparation, the athlete looks forward to the Games. We, too, can actually await the final passage without any fear – in fact, with anticipation and complete satisfaction – but only if we have prepared ourselves for it.
“It is never too late to start. Recognise the value and importance of being prepared: by living a life of good deeds, by fulfilling our responsibilities, by elevating ourselves above the web of worldly illusions, by moving towards a higher plane. Such a person is ready to face death without any fear. Here is a person ready to embrace the opportunity to enter a new world in happiness and peace. Here is a person totally in love with death.
Q. Out of all your achievements, what is your greatest accomplishment in life?
My greatest accomplishment is that I have been able to write this book. Everything in this world is temporary but a book remains forever! It gives me immense satisfaction to know that I have been able to reach out to people and give them some sort of comfort.
Q. What do you hope readers take away from your book?
The number one thing that the readers, I hope, will take away from my book is the constant reminder that our time in this world is limited and for the time left we should live in happiness, goodness and humility rather than in greed, jealousy and anger, running after money or pursuing material wealth. If I can bring about such a change in the minds of the people, I would have achieved my goal.
We need to constantly remember that this whole life is an illusion; we have come to go. So, let’s start living with a sense of detachment and not get caught in the web of pursuing temporary happiness in the form of material goods, wealth and power.
I also hope that people understand from the book that death is a great equalizer. All people – achievers, non-achievers, everybody – will all eventually be reduced to 3.5 kgs of dust! So, it’s not about achieving and not achieving – it is about the purity of the soul.
Enter to receive a free copy of the hardcover version of In Love With Death by Wednesday, March 11, emailing me at Becca@theChakras.org with FREE BOOK in the subject line, and be sure to include your address.
Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life and The Chakra Energy Diet
Becca Chopra
Becca's Inspirational Book Blog 
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