Why Would They Want To?

“The distance between death and life is not as great as you imagine.”

“Really?” Yannis turned his way. “Then why don’t people come back to Earth after they die?”

The stranger smiled. “Why would they want to?”

-Mitch Albom, The Stranger in the Lifeboat

Why would they want to?

Life and death are the extreme truths of life. Life is complicated and death is simple, still people want to live.

Read it once and it sounds like a dodge. Read it twice and it feels like a key. Let’s turn it.

The Distance Isn’t Miles, It’s Perception
Albom’s stranger isn’t talking geography. He’s talking about how close the “other side” really is.

Think about it. You feel someone you’ve lost when a song plays. You swear you smelled your grandma’s perfume in an empty room. You dream of them and wake up with your chest aching, because it felt real.

Grief scientists call this “continuing bonds.” Faith traditions call it the communion of saints, or ancestors watching. Albom calls it: not that far.

Why? Do they really want to? Who wants to return after death? Someone with unfulfilled dreams?

Death is the ultimate truth. One who is born shall die one day. No one is immortal.

We think death is an exile from life. It is not. Albom suggests life is a short trip away from home. And when you’re finally home, with no pain and no fear and nothing left undone — why would you rush back into the rain?

Live. Learn. Grow.