by Nina

Mmm, yeah I watch the ripples change their size

But never leave the stream

Of warm impermanence

So the days float through my eyes —From “Changes” by David Bowie

I decided that I needed a break—and that maybe you did, too—from all the technical posts Baxter and I have been doing lately. And since I can’t get David Bowie’s video for “Lazarus” out of my mind, I thought I’d write about that. First of all, for those of you who haven’t seen it, here it is.

During the 18 months that Bowie knew he was dying of cancer—which he kept private—he made this powerful work about his impending death. And I have to say, this video has impressed me more than any of his other work that I’m familiar with. As I wrote in Meeting Death at the Front Door, I feel that, along with being able to do what you love as you age, being able to die the way you want is an essential part of healthy aging. In order to make that happen, truthfulness (satya) both with yourself and with others about your impending death is necessary. And if you are helping someone else who is dying, facing the truth about their condition is necessary for you to be able to provide them with the help they need.

Truthfulness (the yama satya) is a central part of yoga practice—one aspect of the universal “great vow” that is the second branch of yoga.

Yoga Sutra 2.36 When one is established in truthfulness, one ensures the fruitions of actions. —trans. by Edwin Bryant

And to me Bowie’s video is a brilliant example of satya. Not only is Bowie clear about the fact that he will soon be leaving this life, but he also doesn’t shy away from portraying the difficulty of illness and loss of ability that comes near the end. He also invokes a compelling beauty in it all, like a Japanese haiku that celebrates the transitory nature of existence. 

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Turn and face the strange

Ch-ch-changes

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