When autumn comes, the leaves fall and renew themselves. The tree remains the same tree, but the leaves are not the same leaves. Fruits are born, grow, develop, and die. Just like the world. The soil we stand on remains in place. Don’t look at those who die for the land. Whether they die or not, the land remains in place. It buries the departed and supports the arriving.
Photo by Autumn Mott Rodeheaver on Unsplash
We spend our lives pursuing our ambitions and dreams. We waste time on what we cannot do and admire those who do what we want to do. It’s as if we are wasting our lives. Why struggle so much when we could simply live and move on?
We are constantly wanting something. We are always searching. Always for more, better, newer. When we don’t get it, we spiral into despair. We think we’ve failed. Yet simply surviving is an achievement in itself, and living much longer than our ancestors is a great achievement.
If you don’t believe me, take a look at the newspaper articles I opened while writing this. They’re all from September 20, 2024.
Hurriyet.com.tr
Israel struck Lebanon. Many dead and wounded.
Fallen noncommissioned officer breaks hearts.
Driver who caused death of 5 people in İzmir finally sentenced.
Narin…
Body of missing businessman found in a well after 140 days.
Three members of the same family killed in a road rage incident by neighbors.
BBC.co.uk
10-year-old child killed by Chinese nationalists.
Doctor killed by a “misfire” by police in Pakistan.
Death toll from flooding in Austria reaches 16.
Bild.de
Woman dies after vomiting and weakness following a tortellini meal at a restaurant.
20-year-old German dies in a plane crash in Spain.
Two German students killed in a traffic accident in Tuscany.
Two dead in an accident involving two Lamborghinis and a Porsche.
Empty baby stroller found by the lake… Mother and two children found dead.
A 56-year-old flight attendant, feeling unwell but refusing medication, dies in front of passengers and colleagues before takeoff.
El Pais (english.elpais.com)
Antibiotic resistance could kill 228 million people in the next 25 years.
New York Times
Mountaineer injured in bear attack.
CBS News (cbsnews.com)
Lawyers follow up case of 10-year-old girl who died participating in a TikTok challenge.
CNN US
Judge found dead. Detectives investigate motive behind sheriff’s shooting.
africanews.com
Building collapses in Sierra Leone, killing 11.
Crane crash in Zambia kills 9.
Dam bursts in Sudan. At least 30 dead.
Erosion in Uganda leaves 21 dead.
Okay, I’ll admit it — I cheated a little. I intentionally focused on death-related headlines. But I found them. Nearly every continent has a death story today. People die for all kinds of reasons. According to Worldometer, 135,000 people have died just today.
Who knows why?
There are so many reasons to die. But my goal isn’t to make you paranoid — it’s to remind you of what survival means.
Photo by João Paulo de Souza Oliveira on Unsplash
We Could Have Died at Birth
Without modern medicine, a premature birth would likely have ended in death.
The umbilical cord could have wrapped around our neck. We could’ve come out the wrong way. We could have suffocated before our first breath.
Our mother’s health — her illnesses, her struggles — might have taken us with them, even before we saw the world.
We could have been born without oxygen. With brain damage.
We could have been born infected.
Photo by Daniel Gregoire on Unsplash
We Could Have Died as Children
By swallowing a toy. Getting stuck in a slide. Falling from a height. Hitting our head in a bike crash. Swallowing a battery. Chasing a runaway ball and getting hit by a car. Flying off a swing — we’ve all tried to go higher, faster. Burned by a stove. Drowned in a pool. Locked inside a hot car on a summer day.
By mistake, eating a cleaning product. A friend of mine once drank bleach her mom had poured into a water bottle. She thought it was water. Spent years going in and out of surgeries. Thankfully, she’s fine now.
We could’ve fallen into a well. Into a construction pit. Been attacked by a dog — sadly, a common story in Turkey. Died from a food allergy. Or from food poisoning. Trampled at a crowded event.
We Could Have Died as Teenagers
In the fearless years — the ones where we thought we knew everything — we could’ve stolen the family car and crashed. Fallen from a roof while hanging out with friends. From alcohol poisoning. Trying to dive head-first into shallow water. Electrocuted while charging a phone in the bathroom. Fallen while trying to take the perfect selfie.
Photo by Tobias Tullius on Unsplash
We could’ve died in a youth fight, from a blow to the head. Trying to show off, pressured by our friends. From drugs. While playing football on a turf field. At a house or boat party, starting a fire. While snowboarding (the “luxury” death). Hit by a vehicle — maybe while cycling, skating, or boarding. Because we made eye contact with the wrong person on the street and got stabbed.
Trying to escape forced marriage — shot, or killed in an “accident.” Wandering through an abandoned building when it collapsed. Locked up in some remote place as a prank, dying of dehydration. Doing something extreme — maybe during a hike, maybe while playing sports. Or simply, as a result of one of society’s foolish traditions.
Photo by Isaac Quesada on Unsplash
You Could Have Died in University Too!
Food poisoning. (For example, I got food poisoning from chicken during my first week living alone.)
Excessive alcohol consumption. (This happens when you’re young.)
Falling from a dorm balcony or window. (For example, there was a fight on the 4th-floor balcony.)
Due to an explosion in the chemistry lab. (This is the least likely. I think the probability is low.)
Due to an electric shock. (Do not touch the main power source with bare hands. Do not touch electronic circuits you are unsure of. This happened by accident.) Fortunately, it was high voltage but low current. I felt the sine waves in my body. While being struck by alternating current may be pleasurable, it is risky.)
While traveling. For example, while walking on unprotected cliffs or edges.
Photo by Rik Buiting on Unsplash
When riding a bicycle downhill without brakes.
While texting on your phone while crossing the street.
Due to excessive consumption of energy drinks and caffeine.
While traveling in a foreign country, going to dangerous places. (For example, venturing into streets that should definitely be avoided. You really learn a lot, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Also, don’t go out alone at night. Anything could happen.)
While playing with candles, falling asleep. (Don’t go to bed without extinguishing the candle.)
During a protest, as a result of excessive police violence. (Let’s remember Ali İsmail Korkmaz. Oh, Gezi Park.)
Getting lost in the mountains. It could be due to hypothermia or dehydration. A bear could attack, you could fall from somewhere, or a tree could fall on your head.
During a sports match, due to a blow to the forehead. Or due to an unknown heart condition.
While bungee jumping (I did such a silly thing, but a helicopter, two bungee jumps. I won’t do either of those. I’ll do skydiving, but not those)
As a result of burnout. Psychological distress can trigger suicide.
By being injured by fireworks.
At a wedding, by a stray bullet.
While walking home after a party, you could be killed by someone trying to rob you, by a racist, or by a drug addict. Or the person you’re visiting might be deceiving you.
At a festival, you could also die from feeling unwell.
Photo by Hans Eiskonen on Unsplash
There Are Still So Many Ways to Die as Adults!
There are many reasons to die in adulthood too!
Traffic accidents. Especially after work, attention spans decrease. Sleepiness and carelessness increase at sunrise and sunset.
Unable to escape a fire in an office building.
As a result of an airplane attack on your building. (9/11)
Falling asleep while driving.
Accidentally taking too much of a medication.
Falling down the stairs. (Work safety is important. Don’t work without taking precautions.)
Being crushed under an overturned construction vehicle.
Escaping from someone threatening you on the street.
Photo by Reza Hasannia on Unsplash
While defending yourself against a burglar who has entered your home.
While caught in the middle of a gang fight on the street.
As a result of a natural disaster. (This is, of course, always possible.)
While cooking, by cutting ourselves. (Unlikely, but possible.) Or as a result of hot oil spilling on us.
While getting out of the bathroom, slipping and falling, losing consciousness. (especially if you live alone, be careful)
Due to a gas leak.
Falling from the balcony.
Drowning in the sea, falling from a boat.
While running, being hit by a vehicle.
Due to an allergy.
Due to a heart attack.
Due to concussion or stroke. (This happens more often than you think. Pay attention to what you eat and drink, and to your headaches.)
While sleeping, due to a fire.
Due to food getting stuck in the throat.
During childbirth.
By getting lost in a vehicle.
Due to fainting from extreme heat.
Due to freezing, from the cold.
As you see in the news, many things can happen during the day!
You cross on green, someone doesn’t stop at red and runs you over.
Someone goes crazy and shoots everyone passing by on the street.
You could be the victim of a nationalist attack.
Bombs could explode. You could be the victim of a terrorist attack.
An earthquake may occur, a flood may happen, a forest may burn, land may burn, a tsunami may strike, a volcano may erupt, or a landslide may occur…
Your house may collapse.
They may come to shoot the owner of the place you’re in, and you might get caught in the crossfire.
The police response to a street protest may be harsh, and you could suffer a heart attack due to the tear gas.
You could become a victim of a workplace accident.
You could get electrocuted by your home electronics. You could fall while fixing the antenna.
You could fall or bump into something when reacting suddenly.
Keep in mind that a goat could fall on your head.
You could be raped and killed by a pervert.
As a result of foolish traditions, you could be beaten by a tribe.
You could have a seizure in public. You could fall on the road. You may not be able to get medical help in time, and people on the street may watch you die.
You could fall and hit your head.
A sacrificial bull could kill you.
You could suffer carbon monoxide poisoning in a closed parking garage.
The road could collapse.
The pilots of the plane you are on could be psychopaths, bored, kill their colleague, and crash the plane.
You could die from an unknown virus or bacteria. (This seems to be happening more frequently. The plague wiped out Europe. So did the Spanish flu. Malaria is causing many deaths in Africa. So is Ebola. COVID-19 has also claimed many lives. SARS was the same.)
Nothing happened. You could get cancer. You might not even know it. This is also very likely.
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
So If You’re Alive — Go Celebrate!
We are actually accomplishing a great feat. First, your family accomplished a great feat. By taking care of you when you were sick, staying by your side, taking you to the doctor, and supporting you.
You too have accomplished something great. By standing on your own two feet. Some of you took risks, while others protected themselves excessively with zero risk. As long as you stay alive, you have the chance to change many things in your life.
When things don’t go my way, I sit and think. What have I accomplished in life? Sometimes I don’t see the things I’ve accomplished. I can’t see them because I’ve achieved them. What is success for others is something I’ve achieved without any effort, even if there was a lot of effort behind it, that’s how I feel. What is success for me is the same for others.
Yet, what we call success is just the ability we gain through experience, the result of our repeated actions. The real success is surviving. Despite everything I’ve experienced, despite all the risks and problems, surviving is perhaps the only success. Being in the right place at the right time is also a success. That’s what we call luck. Sometimes, even if we think about everything, the opposite can happen. For example, in the face of an earthquake, you can be in the best place, but during the earthquake, you can end up trapped under rubble in a ridiculous café. If the opposite happens, shouldn’t you celebrate your luck?
It’s beneficial not to take life too seriously. Life comes and goes. Instead of spending our lives on trivial matters and what we couldn’t do, celebrating every breath we take by focusing on what we could do seems like the right thing to do. Reducing stress and expectations is also the most important thing for survival.
The weekend has begun—enjoy every breath you take!
bahadirhancicek 
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