Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Buried Life -What do you want to do before you die?



The Buried Life on MTV...

Finally MTV has gotten off their trashy shows like Jersey Shore, The Real World and others, and come up with an altruistic show like The Buried Life.

Enter 4 twenty-something guys from British Columbia with their concept for a show. They bought an old Bus, and renovated it to go on the road, in a quest to fulfill their “bucket list” of 100 things to do before they die.

And that really brings up the question, what do you want to do before you die?

Well, in their case, they want to attend a party at the Playboy mansion. But along the way, they meet people...and ask them “What do you want to do before you die?”

-Powerful question.

I think you could stop just about anybody on a street corner and ask that question, and you would get a response from just about everyone. Everybody would take the time to think about that, right?

Well, I would think so. In fact, I wonder if everyone would tell you that if they were to die tomorrow, that they had most of their affairs in order today. That they would leave this world, and have been prepared to do so. You prepare for life, so why not be prepared for death?

And I don't mean life insurance. This isn't a plug for London Life or something like that. Ok, so leaving money to your loved ones is a nice gesture, but I'm talking about something much bigger. I'm talking about closure with those who love you, and whom you love.

It's funny that I bring this up, because the book I am working on revolves around this concept below...

I met a young man once in Germany who had just lost his parents in a train crash. After finalizing their estates, he wondered what his parents' last thoughts were before they died; Were they of love, or were they thinking about their loved ones?

He'll never know... And it tormented him terribly.

That's when I came up with the concept of writing letters to those who have touched your life, while you are alive. You can write a letter to each person you love, and tell them how much they mean to you, and how much you loved them.

Can you imagine if your best friend passed away, and the executor of the estate came up to each one of you, and handed you a hand-written letter from your deceased friend, who took the time to write to you to let you know how they felt about you? -Even in death?




I can imagine that would go a long way to provide closure to you, and make you feel that much better about having to say goodbye.

Sounds like a concept that everyone would like, but nobody I know has done it. And I wonder why that is? We want our family to move on in the event of our death, but we provide no preparation for that. A simple letter would go a long way. Our loved ones would be able to pull that letter out on every birthday, anniversary and big event for the rest of their lives, and receive that comfort of seeing our handwriting and hearing our voice through words on a piece of paper.

Do you have young kids that wouldn't know who you were if you didn't leave something of "you" behind? Would they be able to remember you without anything other than pictures? Do you have a video designated just for them? Would you want to be a part of your children's lives even in death? Would you care so much for them and being there as a parent and a friend, that you would leave something intimately left between you and your loved one? What a great gift that would be...

-Powerful Action.

So, not to give the premise of my book away, but that should give you a good concept of the idea it is based around.

So getting back to The Buried Life... I plan on watching all 8 episodes of this show. I think it is a great concept, and more importantly, it asks a very important question...

But really, the question is, what do you want to do before you die?

1 comment:

  1. Yep,
    Totally agree, I like the fact they invite other groups to do the same and post the recording on their website. Powerful stuff if used the right way.
    Oh, and I'd like to eat forty apples and crap a fruit salad before I die Chuck! Life can be magical.

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