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Life Keeps Getting in the Way of Death

David D. Knapp, Ph.D.
2 min readMar 10, 2021

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A Year in the Death 3/10/21

Lijphoto/Shutterstock.com. Image used under license from Shutterstock.com

When I began this series back on January 1, I knew it would be impossible for me to post an article everyday. What I didn’t realize was just how difficult it would be simply to reflect on death everyday.

But I hadn’t counted on life continually getting in the way of death.

I should have expected this.

After all, my leadership and organizational-development consulting business was showing signs of recovering from the 2020 COVID-19 economic slowdown. I was training hard for a number of spring ultra marathons I had registered for. The work on the leadership book I’ve been promising myself to write for years was finally going well. And the typical day-to-day distractions, such as a dead vehicle battery, showed no indications of slowing down.

However, the biggest impediment to this year-long exercise in contemplating death — especially my own — has been my inherent human nature. For as much as I tell myself that I am different than the billions of other homo sapiens currently roaming the Earth, the fact is that I, too, find it convenient to ignore my own mortality.

Yes, I still faithfully engage in my daily Stoic practices, which often focus on the subject of death. But I’ve noticed it’s been far easier to focus that work on…

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David D. Knapp, Ph.D.
David D. Knapp, Ph.D.

Written by David D. Knapp, Ph.D.

President of Marathon Leadership, LLC — an organizational and leadership consulting firm based in Thornton, CO. Learn more at http://marathonleadership.com/

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