BOOK TALK
The Book “When Breath Becomes Air” is a Memoir That Will Change Your Perspective On Death
a review
When we write about our life, as much as we reflect on the past, we look into the future, and when a person is certain of his immediate death, he talks only of the life he has lived and the wisdom he has gained.
The book holds such wisdom for me, I saw it as the contemplation of a person who has seen many deaths in life, and finally of himself. I saw the writing as a self-note to his own heart, as a way to soothe his heart to the possible danger of death.
In the book, he started writing down the details of his life when he was held by cancer, starting from his journey as a student, then in residency, and then becoming a patient himself depending on others for help.
“Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still, it is never complete.”
— Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air
The book is laden with many medical terminologies, which might be hard for general people to understand, however, given the author’s love for literature, he has written it well to keep the flow of words. It was a dolorous account to read as it felt like a farewell letter.
Unfortunately, he didn’t complete this work as cancer left him unconscious, but the account of his last days was given that may release us of curiosity of his last days.
Reading the book reminded me of the fragility of human life; everything can change within moments when you realize some reality. When we are in a position of power, and authority we only think about ourselves, but when we lose that we may not have the support of others as we would need.
When life has to end one day, we realize that something is worth cherishing, it is the happy moments with our family and friends. Living our lives to goodness requires us to appreciate and prioritize ourselves and our mental health. Creating a balance in all things we do can make these fleeting moments a bit easier to live and more fulfilling to undergo.
“If the hare makes too many minor missteps and has to keep adjusting, the tortoise wins. If the tortoise spends too much time planning each step, the hare wins.”
— Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air
One of the powerful realizations I had while reading the book is this: life will become mundane, robotic, and meaningless if we become static and have nothing to serve ourselves and others. I had taken a break from going to the gym and exercising, I was slowly falling into thoughts that put hopelessness and dejection into my mind. It made me reflect that no matter what happens to us if we don’t save ourselves, our thoughts can eat us from inside out.
The book “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi will make you think, cry and give you a lot of reasons to appreciate your life.
Recommended!
