“The wise die; together [with] the foolish and ignorant, they perish.” (49:11)

We cannot avoid death. Our soul’s only chance at bodily existence could be interrupted at any moment with illness or sudden trauma. We might chase possessions or pleasurable experiences in order to avoid thinking about death. As the end of our lives approach, we might waste the potential wisdom of our elder years in fear focused on fighting death. Fear of death causes us to miss opportunities to do good in this world. Better to let our mortality energize us in pursuit of building a better world for others.