“There are only three certainties in life; breathing, taxes, and death.”
It was Ben Franklin who coined the phrase, “There are but two certainties in life; death and taxes.” Now, it’s important to realize, that this statement was made as a jab of the ever growing need to fund the government machine, but he was absolutely right in the fact that taxes will last as long as we live, and death is a certain end to our life. However, in an effort to satisfy my craving for accuracy, I purpose a third certainty; the only sustaining involuntary function that maintains life; breathing. We know that Ben was a fan of debates and was also a very intelligent man. 
I think that if he and I could have reflected together on this comment, he would have agreed that I was correct in my addition. Man, only needs three things for human life: Air, Water and Food. Of the three it is only air that is consumed involuntarily; thus, there can be no life without the act of breathing.
I have watched five people pass peacefully away in my presence. In each event I felt a void develop as the person took their very final breath because we just expect that breathing will continue. However, that is not the case in the circle of life; we will all breath our last breath at some time in the future. It is an unavoidable truth so we should use the Power of the Wisdom of Three to be prepared for our final moment, regardless of when it is.
Throughout our life we are, in essence, preparing for what is called by the Native Americans, “the final journey”. And I do believe, just as the Natives do, that this mystic journey begins as our soul, our eternal energy, is released from our physical body upon our death so that it can travel to its heavenly home. For the people that I was with when they took their final breath, it was a very peaceful experience, and I believe all five used the power of three to make that happen. They each had done three things before they died. They cleared their conscience through reconciliation, had a resolved “calendar”, and they enjoyed and maintained a strong faith.
Throughout our lives we are taught the importance of forgiveness. It is an ongoing fact that humans live a social existence and that we are a flawed species. In order to remain weaved into the fabric of our society; we must maintain a peaceful status with the community we live and work in. No matter how hard we try, we will likely think, say and do something that will create problems that hurt us, other people, and our spiritual deity. These problems or sins will require an act of forgiveness and once we are forgiven, we can once more move on, feeling at peace with our self, the person or group of people which we erred against and the God to whom we worship. Since the “journey” of death takes us from this long-established community of our lifetime, we feel the need to leave it in good grace.
We are also an organized race; we do not like to leave tasks undone, especially when it comes to those impacting the ones whom we love, care and respect. We even have a rhyme that supports this belief, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” This self-induced requirement to complete that which we are responsible for goes to the heart of why we were created in the first place; to love one another. If we were not created to love, we would feel no remorse toward leaving undone promise to someone one else. Instead, we are driven by these items of attention so that once resolved, we find solace in the fact that we are leaving the ones we love in a better position. Once these chores have all been handles, we can finally “rest in peace”.
Finally, they all shared a strong faith that the future was going to be better than the present. Think about any journey or any transition you have ever made. What made the leaving worth doing? It was the hope and belief that the next location would be better than where you were at the time. For those who truly believe that they lived a decent and just life by holding true to the Spiritual Laws of life and have the belief in an eternal reward, death is not the end; it a relocation to a new home. Of course, as with all journeys, you will miss and be missed by those whom you love but if these people share your belief in life everlasting, the separation is only temporary. Without this faith we are left with fear. Faith always conquers fear.
So let us live a life of preparation. We are all on our own individual journey but will eventual all cross that same ocean that we call death. Before we leave remember to “pack” reconciliation, resolve, and faith; it will make your transition a lot smoother.
Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”
If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.