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TWENTY-FOUR HOURS TO LIVE
By Sean Dietrich

In a little village was an old man who was very wise. He was kind and compassionate to all. He shared love and generosity with everyone around him. The whole village respected him and loved him greatly.

One day a troubled young man came seeking wisdom from the old man. “Why am I so evil?” The young man cried. “Why am I so greedy and selfish? Why do I lie, gossip, hate, lust and get so angry?” The young man broke down into tears. “I simply cannot change my evil ways! How can I learn purity?”

The old man looked at him and said, “These are all good questions. But before I answer your questions; I need to tell you something else very important. In 24 hours you will most certainly die.”

The young man was completely horrified, for everyone in the village greatly trusted what the old man said. “I must leave at once so I might say goodbye to my family and friends.” The young man said as he ran out the front door leaving the old man.

The young man arrived home to his mother and father crying. His family was heartbroken to hear the news. Soon, the news spread throughout the village and everyone wept for the young man’s approaching death.

That day, the young man started preparing for his coming death. He apologized to the people in the village he had been unkind to. Then, he gathered his livestock, his prized possessions and clothing and distributed them among his friends and family. And after all of his possessions had been given loved ones, the young man then gathered all of his money and donated it to the poor.

With only 1 hour left to live, the old man came to visit the young man who was lying in his bed. “Why are you laying down as if you are already dead?” The old man asked.

“I have done all the things I needed to do, please go and let me die peacefully.” The young man said.

“There are still 60 minutes left, perhaps we can talk a bit?” The old man continued. “In the past 24 hours, have you lied to anyone?”

“NO of course not! How can I waste time telling a lie when I am so close to death!”

“Have you been selfish in the last 24 hours?” Asked the old man.

“SELFISH? Heavens no! On the contrary, I have been giving my things away. How can I be selfish when all I am thinking about is death?”

Finally the old man smiled and said, “Young man I do not have the knowledge of how long someone has left to live. I don’t truly know when you will die. But you have learned a wonderful lesson. Death can be very enlightening to us all.”

“The only way to live in purity is to let yourself die. In the past 24 hours, you have answered all of your burning questions without any of my help. This is because you have been completely abandoning yourself. The difference between you and me is that you have been letting your life go for 24 hours. I have been letting life go for 50 years.”

“If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.”
--Jesus