Reflections and book suggestion over "The Death of Ivan Ilych"

During the holiday season, I took some time to go after the works of writers I admire, and Leo Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilych" was a classic I had been wishing to explore and a reading that I highly recommend! This one tells the story of Ivan Ilych, a man who seems to have it all. A successful career, social status, and material comforts. But when he faces a terminal illness, everything changes, and he starts to see how empty his life really is.

As we go through Ivan's struggle, we found ourselves thinking about the moments we often overlook. In our rush through life and the approval from life, don’t we forget to enjoy the simple things that truly matter? Ivan’s realization that he’s been living a lie is a powerful reminder to savor the present and cherish the experiences that bring us joy, like sharing a laugh with friends, enjoying a meal with family, or just being grateful for the process itself, not the ending of it.

Tolstoy does a great job of showing how isolating it can be when we focus solely on our achievements. Ivan’s journey highlights the fact that real fulfillment comes from our relationships and how we nurture them, not our complements. It makes me wonder how often we take the time to appreciate the people in our lives or express our gratitude to them, look them in the eyes and say that they are meaningful and important to us.

And it’s also impressive how the writer brings his point of view on how we deal with the idea of death. Ivan’s fear and denial are something we can all relate to. But embracing our mortality can actually be freeing. It pushes us to live more authentically and to engage with life on a deeper level. When we realize that our time is limited, it reminds us to focus on what truly matters, our experiences, our relationships, and our personal growth and the grows of those who surrounds us.

Ultimately, "The Death of Ivan Ilych", in the end, it’s not about how much we accomplish, but how fully we live. Let’s strive to fill our lives with laughter, love, and genuine experiences, because that’s what truly matters.

And I hope we can get at this moment of reflection and the beginning of a new year to take that into account on our yearly resolutions! ?????

Happy Holidays and a for a great new year ahead of us!