Day Six
Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
What would come to your mind if you heard a colleague of yours just died? Would you think about his vacant position and start musing about your future promotion? That is what the people who had an acquaintance with Ivan Ilyich did. Ivans's family is also devastated. Not by his demise but because it stopped the stream of cash flow. Ivan was a charismatic fellow from a young age and loved the company of women. But when he came of age, he had to start his bureaucratic job and fell in love with the sense of power it gave to him. But marriage forced him to focus only on money. He did make money. Enough for a lavish home and a luxurious life. As he became sick and aware of his mortality, he started to hate people who stopped him from living in his way. He tried to cling to his dear life as much as he could but in the end, accepted his situation.
The story is a reflection on the meaning of life. How “meaning” gets lost when we consume without a conscious. When this happens only “death” becomes a way to break free from such shackles.