The Death of the Moth by Virginia Woolf described how a life of a moth could be so fragile that like humans and other animals do, the moth also struggled to fight death. She compared how the moth lived its life compared to humans and other animals as well. That even if the moth seems nothing and worthless, its resistance to death is evident. In other words, the significance of death is not only limited to human beings. Animals may not think like humans do, but they are also living and gives effort to live life to the fullest. Animals may not live life like us human beings, but like us, they also have a purpose in living.
I believe that all human beings are artists because their lives are creative productions. The basic materials of each person’s artistry are many and varied, for they depend on each person’s uniqueness. One’s basic materials, however, not only include the elements of life, nit also those of death with all its various ramifications, as books, articles, symposia and discussions open people’s context of death awareness, the question must be asked how much an awareness can help human beings create beautiful lives. This brings us to this question, is the moth aware of its upcoming death. Life and death to all living things is apparent.
How long would it take is unknown. When the body dies, there is nothing that remains that can survive. This is a belief that prevents any solution to existential vicissitudes being projected to another life. It asks of each human being the courage to face life’s problems in the here and now, the courage to supply necessary answers and remedies. Happiness is one’s own making not in any heaven “above the bright blue sky” (to use the words of an old hymn for children). Only God knows the answer to the problems of innocent suffering and that rewards are in heaven for those who tow the party line are seen as an evasion of facing life itself.
We must then, I should say, enjoy and value our lives the happiest as we can make it. As Woolf’s story went on, when she sees the moth is turned on its back, she reaches out a pencil to turn it over again, but then she lays the pencil down. This is the realization that even if we try helping other people to fight for life, they already made their own battle against it so we just have to leave it as it is. Woolf obviously tackled the resemblance between the moth’s struggles and the human condition in facing life. We may see it different at large, but with the little and worthless moth’s death, it was very perceptible.
