Today in my Nonfiction II class we read a passage from the book Shot In the Heart by Mikal Gilmore. It was a gripping tale about his brother, Gary Gilmore, who viciously shot two innocent people. The death penalty had been illegal prior to this incident, but the state of Utah invoked the death penalty specifically for Gary. Gary’s brother, Mikal, didn’t want his name associated with the return of the death penalty and so tried to ensure his brother would, rather, have a life sentence. Mikal’s thoughts on death and capital punishment are eye opening as well as thought provoking. Gary wanted to die because he didn’t want to suffer in jail for the rest of his life. And as Mikal points out, one cannot argue with death, it usually comes without warning, but not in Gary’s case.
Death is a somber subject, but much has been written about death because of how mysterious it is, yet how it’s a constant in everyone’s life. Eventually in some shape and at some time, death will claim us all. And as Ronnie Radke so cleverly penned, “If we are born to die and we all die to live/Then what’s the point of living life if it just contradicts?” Fascinating, right? And such a true, although pessimistic, statement.
I’m not trying to bum anyone out, but I’d like to share some insightful and gorgeous words about death.
1. “Dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well.” – Sylvia Plath
2. “From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am them and that is eternity.” – Edvard Munch
3. “You have a choice. Live or die. Every breath is a choice. Every minute is a choice. Every time you don’t throw yourself down the stairs, that’s a choice. Every time you don’t crash your car, you re-enlist.” – Chuck Palahnuik
4. “Act on your impulse, swallow the bottle, cut a little deeper, put he gun to your chest.” – Ellen Hopkins
4. “But we try so hard not to die, sometimes we forget to appreciate life.” – The Spill Canvas
5. “I’d drive my car off of the bridge if I knew that you weren’t inside. Put the pedal to the floor, who could ask for more? A fantastic way to kill some time.” – Brand New
6. “The calm cool face of the river asked me for a kiss.” -Langston Hughes
7. “Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die.” – Bring Me the Horizon
8. “Will someone tell me what it means to be alive? It feels just like the feeling when you die.” – Pierce the Veil
9. “Can’t you see it’s better to die on your feet than to live down on your knees?” – Dan Nigro
10. “The death of one is a tragedy, but the death of a million is just a statistic.” – Marilyn Manson
Live, Laugh, Lyrics 