shape of life

There is an awful symmetry about life and death.
I use the word "awful" in its original meaning, i.e. shock and awe style.
We would be very worried if birth was a quiet, placid affair, however much we woman would
like it to be so.
So why do we see the perfect death as requiring calmness, tranquillity and stillness (prior to the ultimate stillness, of course).
The truth is that there is an awful symmetry and as we come kicking and screaming down the birth canal, taking the first breath that ruptures the vessel that allows the circulation of blood to become closed and independent,
the struggle begins.
Whether we like it or not, the struggle is vital and without it we remain enfeebled and lacking stamina.
My great fear for today's generation is that, in our desire to protect them, we deprive them of the opportunity to strive, to discover what they have in them, to push their limits and thereby grow stronger.
However long or short our days, and I believe in earthly terms the expenditure of life force varies for each individual, once the cycle has completed, the life force, for want of a better word, is exhausted and life here is over. The problem is the length of the cycle - some use it up more quickly than others. This is the unknown quantity.