The Three Deaths

People die three deaths.
The first is when our bodies cease to function;
when our hearts no longer beat of their own accord,
when our gaze no longer has depth or weight,
when the space we occupy slowly loses its meaning.

The second death comes when the body is lowered into the ground ...

The third death, the most definitive death,
is when there is no one left alive to remember us.

--- The Antidote: Happiness for People
Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
Oliver Burkeman
©2012 Faber & Faber