No sleep last night. None. Death has been in the forefront of my mind since losing a friend to suicide this past month. Processing my feelings has been difficult for many reasons. One being that I myself, am often suicidal. I've been fighting to use my mental health resources to encourage my safety, however the thoughts of ending it all, still linger in the background.
Death is something we all face. Its the common thread that connects all living things. Our mortality is the deeply rooted subconscious motivator that drives (many of) us to behave and exist the way we do. I could really dive down the rabbit hole on this subject alone, but I have more pressing thoughts and matters that I'd like to get out of my head and into writing first, involving a pet rabbit of my own who has fallen ill.
In the past 12-14 hours, I have been struggling to nurse my sick pet back to health. If I fail to do so within 24 hours, it will result in her death. My pet rabbit, Luna, began showing signs of GI Stasis yesterday afternoon. Her refusal to eat or drink means her digestive tract is shutting down. I've already placed calls to the small animal vets in the area for treatment and advice. Much to my dismay, her regular vet is out until Friday, and the other clinic I called, is known for charging shockingly high prices for their services. Being that I am disabled and have limited income, they are not an option.
I spent hours last night researching what one should do in this situation, and have been doing my best to administer fluids every hour with a feeding syringe, along with belly massage, and infant drops that relieve gas and bloating. I am now impatiently waiting for a pet store to open, so I can gather more recommended supplies.
During this time, I have also had to come to terms with the fact that Luna, might not make it. Branching away from this situation into the train of thought I have been mulling over : Grief, loss, accepting death, and the consciousness involved in that process.
It is a strange and surreal feeling to condition the mind to accept death and mortality. It is almost taboo in today's "civilized" society, to be at peace with dying. The news, media and most forms of product marketing use immanent death as a scare tactic, and a sales pitch. Even the "fear of missing out" that we feel when browsing social media, or seeing advertisements, is deeply rooted in the fear of death. It may sound far fetched, but when you think about our primal drive for survival and self preservation, and how it fits in with everything I previously stated, it may make some sense.
Now of course I realize that this is merely my opinion, and perhaps even anecdotal, but I thought I would throw it out into the Steemit community, and see what other thoughts it may bring in.
Side Note: I have been reading up on Buddhism as of late, and there is much said in the teachings about becoming at peace with mortality through enlightenment. Its helped me quite a bit with easing pain when losing loved ones.
I hope this post made some connections with you. Let me know what your thoughts are. Differing opinions are always welcome.
Photo Credit: stock photos from Pexels.com and photo of Luna, taken by me.