I am a fan of many things, two of which are mythology and astronomy. I was recently reading about Chiron, the centaur and Wounded Healer, and was blown away by one of his actions. Chiron, who was a civilized Centaur of deific birth, gave up his immortality because he couldn't heal himself. He'd been wounded by an arrow poisoned with Hydra's blood which landed in his thigh. The wound never healed, and he gave up eternity because of it.
That got me thinking. I began thinking that this was very much in line with my philosophies about the purpose of Death. I believe that this lifetime is for healing of one's self. Most of us do not really understand what this means. Healing of one's self is not simply airing out one's grievances. Healing of one's self is a long-term process, by which one does the hard work internally to see where one is out of balance and attempts to rectify that balance. This is not a small mission. This is a Herculean task, pardon my mythological metaphors.
I realize that what Chiron did, choose to give up immortality because he was unable to heal himself, he the quintessential healer, was an incredible statement on what we live. It wouldn't be inconceivable to me that our lack of effort in healing ourselves is very possibly linked to our mortality. As a simple medical concept it is more than true. Yet, on more than the physiologic standpoint, from the spiritual standpoint, immortality can only be achieved by greatness, of which every individual is potentially capable. Yet one must transcend one's tendencies, one's inferior nature, one must be willing to give everything to the process of becoming a more compassionate, more sincerely latitudinous individual.
Possibly, dying is an existential result of our lack of accomplishment of real healing. Instead of working on healing our wounds, we would rather bask in the false coping mechanisms of chemical addictions, of sex, of diversions of entertainment. We would rather remain superficial than go deep into ourselves and examine what is leading us astray. And we would rather create misery for others rather than fix ourselves in order to break the vicious cycle of dysfunction and masculine toxicity in the world.
Chiron's example is incredible. In order for us to achieve the one thing we so desire in this universe, immortality, we must forego our self-destructive and lazy tendencies. Each of us must truly attempt to break free of our baser, immature selves and choose the harder, loftier path of real wisdom, a wisdom which costs nothing, which is accessible to all, and which promotes individuation without condition or control. In order to achieve immortality we must heal ourselves. Otherwise, remaining chronically unhealed with our festering wounds, we stay mortal and destined for death, the karma of our lesson of rebirth.