Awareness Quote by Irvin D. Yalom
“In a study we did of bereavement, we found that rather impressive numbers of widows and widowers had not simply gone back to their pre-loss functioning, but grown. This was due to a kind of increased existential awareness that resulted from this confrontation with the death of another. And I think it brought them in touch with their own death, so they began to experience a kind of preciousness to life that comes with an experience of its transiency.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Staring at the Sun, by Irvin D. Yalom, 1997
Facing death can heighten existential awareness, making life feel more precious and prompting personal growth.
In simple terms: Confronting death makes life feel more valuable.
Key Takeaway
Use mortality awareness to cherish life.
Themes
existential growth
grief
awareness
preciousness
transience
Mood
thoughtful
hopeful
introspective
Type
psychological
inspirational
When to use this quote
- therapy sessions
- personal loss
- life planning
- mindfulness practice
Key Concepts
meaning-making
personal development
mortality
bereavement
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you cultivate appreciation without loss?
- What practices help integrate mortality awareness?
A Different Perspective
Not everyone experiences growth after loss.
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![“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s self. Everything in the worldly life is nothing but intoxication. The food is intoxicating, the senses are intoxicating. [Therefore] Go to the one, who…” quote by Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b3/dada-bhagwan-31_absolute_in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-into_3662.jpg)
