“I am more interested in the quality of my life than the quantity of my days.” DW
Dave Warnock on "The Graceful Atheist"
Today, Let's talk about death. That's right. The most awkward, uncomfortable, avoidable subject on the planet. Death. It's inevitable for everyone, yet so taboo as a topic of conversation. That has to stop... and it's voices like Dave Warnock's that bring a different perspective to the conversation around death. It's why his voice matters to me.
I was introduced to Dave on the "Humanize Me" podcast, and have since enjoyed listening to his story and conversations around the subject of life and death. Dave mentions occasionally that he's not afraid of death, but afraid of not living while he still has breath to offer the universe. Dave has A.L.S.. It's the same disease got its nickname from baseball player Lou Gehrig. It gave the Sue Rodriguez the fight of her life up here in Canada, to have the legal right to have help to end her life. And in 2017, A.L.S. took the life of one of the most inspirational members of my extended family... a woman by the name of Suzie Lane.
Dave is evidence that there are "atheists in foxholes." His is a valuable voice among the atheist and humanist activists. He adds so much to the conversation that "THIS life matters". While he has the energy, he uses it wisely and strives to make every day count. We can learn from Dave. As a person who has tasted so much pain and loss in her own family, every day has to matter to me. I don't know how much time my loved ones have left and I don't know how much time I have left. I need to spend more time in the space making ever day count. Oh, how I wish I could spend every day there.
