"Adumbration" is not a word that is very frequently used in our normal conversations. At least, that's my bet! I actually don't have any genuine evidence to back up that assertion; however, I do remember using "adumbration" in an email, recently, and as I reviewed my email, before I pushed the "send" button, I decided that I had better include the definition of the word in the email itself, just so what I was talking about would be understood.
And what was I talking about? I was talking about "adumbrations of mortality," a phenomenon that is, I think, increasingly experienced by those of us who are "old." Just a few days ago, I wrote out a blog posting announcing that I am now 82 years old, so "adumbrations of mortality" are ever more present in my life and experience.
To get to the definition, "Adumbration" is perhaps best defined this way: "vague advance indications."
So, "adumbrations of mortality" are vague advance indications that one is going to die. You know, if you are 82 years old, and fall down, that could be a real signal. I have had such a fall, pretty recently - maybe a brief repeat of that "syncope" that I experienced a year or so ago - and here's the general rule, for those in my age bracket: "First you fall. Then you die." Luckily for me, in this recent fall, nothing appears to have been broken, and believe me, I spent many hours getting assessed, and X-rayed, in order to be sure that this was true.
When someone starts having adumbrations of mortality, brought on by a fall, or just arising spontaneously, the reality of our human situation comes ever more clearly into focus, and that "general rule" I just announced - first you fall down, and then you die - seems, rather suddenly, to be more "relevant" than previously.
"Fear" would seem to be the natural and normal reaction. Fear of the unknown is well understood to be associated with anxiety and distress. If you click that link, you will find that the phenomenon is described at some length, and some "treatment options" are provided.
This is a Sunday, and most recently, I have been trying to utilize my blog postings on Sundays to publish my thoughts about topics related to the "religious" or the "spiritual." Thus, today seems like a convenient day to mention my thoughts about dying, and my adumbrations of mortality.
"Memento Mori" has been my advice of longstanding, as any who regularly read these blog postings will remember. The idea of that ancient advice is to get ahead of the curve, and to try to deal with the unknown territory of your own death before you actually experience it, personally, since if you wait until you are truly dying or dead, it is then too late to do much thinking of any value. What Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble advised, in that "Memento Mori" blog posting I have cited to, above, is that understanding that you are going to die should bring "comfort," not "fear." I am finding out that this is actually true, as my own adumbrations of mortality arise, and as I confront and consider them. This gift of life that we have each been given can be the occasion for celebration. Bewailing the fact that this gift is only a "limited time offer," and provides us only a finite time on Earth, is not only unavailing and ungenerous, it is a waste of the opportunity for joy that our lives provide.
The King James Version of Matthew 7:7-8 advises that we should "ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." I have found this to be true so often that I think it's worth a try as a general operating principle. That's what I advise. Try believing that whatever you can envision is "possible," and you may find out that's true.
That has been my genuine personal experience (in politics and in other ventures), and as I have mentioned many times before in these blog postings, "possibility" is my category. My Dad told me first, and then he proved it to me, in an amazing and astonishing way. How that happened is perhaps my favorite story about my father. Use that link and you can read all about it.
Now, as the end of this year draws near, I am thinking of writing a long letter to those who are "young," a letter from this "old guy," as I confront those adumbrations of mortality that I am now experiencing quite frequently. If I do, actually, write such a letter, I will be able to report that I am confronting my mortality with the antidote not of any medically-advised "treatment," but with gratitude, first, and my belief in "possibility" not far behind.
I write about "politics," mostly, because that is how we, together, can create the world we hope for. And I have found that the advice that I have quoted from the Book of Matthew is very good advice, indeed - and not only in one's personal life. It's a political principle, too! Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened.
I have found that to be true!
Image Credit:
https://www.theactuary.com/2023/01/17/mortality-rise-impact-pensions
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