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Author:
Andrzej Stanislaw Budzinski
Let us pause for a moment, dear Reader: what would happen if that old crone, that shadow behind our backs, instead of arousing in us only panic and inconsolable sorrow, became the most demanding, though often invisible, teacher in our lives? What if every breath, even the shallowest one we take with such self-satisfaction, was nothing more than another lesson in this bizarre school called life, whose end – though so stubbornly repressed from our consciousness – is not at all a definitive conclusion, but rather an ironic beginning of a completely new way of looking at this chaotic spectacle in which we play the leading roles?
”Death, the Best Teacher of Life” is not a gloomy chronicle of dying; you won`t find instructions for operating a coffin here, nor a guide on how to write a moving epitaph. This, my dear friend, is a guide to the art of living with a full awareness of its temporality...
Let us pause for a moment, dear Reader: what would happen if that old crone, that shadow behind our backs, instead of arousing in us only panic and inconsolable sorrow, became the most demanding, though often invisible, teacher in our lives? What if every breath, even the shallowest one we take with such self-satisfaction, was nothing more than another lesson in this bizarre school called life, whose end – though so stubbornly repressed from our consciousness – is not at all a definitive conclusion, but rather an ironic beginning of a completely new way of looking at this chaotic spectacle in which we play the leading roles?
”Death, the Best Teacher of Life” is not a gloomy chronicle of dying; you won`t find instructions for operating a coffin here, nor a guide on how to write a moving epitaph. This, my dear friend, is a guide to the art of living with a full awareness of its temporality. Together, we will consider how this constant awareness that everything, from the most passionate romance to the most delicious pizza, has its inexorable end, perversely changes our perception of every fleeting moment, every momentous decision, every spontaneous smile. But do not fear, we will not wallow in melancholic reflections on transience or feed ourselves with pessimistic visions. This book aims rather to nudge you, pull you out of the comfortable armchair of your illusions, take your hand, and with contagious lightness, seasoned with a pinch of dark humor, help you look at your own, often absurd, life from a completely new, surprisingly liberating perspective.
After all, this Death, though seemingly dark and unapproachable, is actually the most perfect, albeit somewhat macabre, mascot in this theater of human existence. Sometimes it smiles at us with ironic indulgence, other times it looks serious, as if grading our ”life” essay, and sometimes it even becomes grotesque in its unpredictable choices. But one thing is certain – there is nothing more absurd, more comically tragic, than a life lived without even a shadow of awareness of its inevitable end. And it is precisely this fundamental absurdity, this tightrope walk stretched over the abyss of nothingness, that is the beating heart of this story.
We wander then together – you, with your fears and hopes, I, as your guide through this strange territory, and that third one, always present, though often ignored – Death – through the funniest, most moving, and sometimes most embarrassing nooks and crannies of human existence, to discover that the greatest, most fundamental truths about life are not hidden in pompous phrases or lofty ideas. They are hidden in small, often underestimated gestures, in the laughter we can muster in the face of adversity, in those ordinary, everyday moments that, if we only stopped for a moment and noticed them, would have a value for us greater than any material wealth or ephemeral achievement.
So, prepare yourself for a lesson that will surprise you with its unconventional approach. Because this Death, our uninvited teacher, can not only teach but also entertain – and in a way you never, ever expected. And Antoni, whose adventures we will follow, will be our tragic and comical guide through this extraordinary, deadly school of life.
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