It's Parkinson's Disease.
When I received the message from my father in New Zealand, saying he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, my heart sank. I felt a rush of sadness and fear. It’s not easy to grasp the reality that someone you love is facing a serious illness. I took time to sit with my emotions and reflect, allowing meditation to calm my mind. This practice helped me see things from a broader perspective and accept what was happening.
Life follows a natural course: we are born, we grow old, and we die.
It’s a truth we understand from a young age, but the focus of our lives often shifts toward goals and achievements.
When we’re faced with the inevitable stages of aging or death, however, we often find ourselves less prepared.
This news about my father opened my eyes to something profound: just as it is essential to live well, it is also crucial to prepare for death in a meaningful way.
Learning to “die well” is as much a part of living well as anything else.
With this clarity, I could approach my father with a calm heart. I encouraged him to live each day with gratitude, finding peace in preparation and acceptance. He responded with strength, sharing how he was already exercising daily and keeping his spirits high. I felt immense gratitude for his resilience.
Reflecting on my life, I realized how fortunate I have been to follow my passions because of my parents' unwavering love and support. They encouraged me to pursue what brought me joy, even when my choices were unconventional—like when I decided to become a dancer after completing my university studies. Thanks to their support, I reached my dream of joining the New Zealand School of Dance and embarked on a career as a professional dancer.
But even after achieving this, a question lingered in my heart: "Who am I, and what is my purpose?" The accomplishment alone didn’t answer that. So I turned to meditation, seeking deeper meaning and understanding. This path introduced me to the Truth—the concept of living in harmony with the Universe and transcending the limitations of the self. This was the clarity I had been looking for.
Through meditation, I’ve learned that life’s struggles and fears stem from being trapped in our own minds. By freeing myself from this, I found a new perspective on life. I can now appreciate each moment with gratitude, face challenges with wisdom, and see aging and death as natural processes rather than burdens to fear.
Knowing this has brought immense comfort. Meditation has given me a way to experience life without emotional heaviness, and I am grateful to have this understanding now, especially in supporting my father. I hope more people can realize the power of acceptance and gratitude so that they, too, can live fully and without fear.