The Call of Death and the Depth of Our Callings

Abstract

This chapter focuses on a reality that every human being faces: the prospect of death. When this reality is brought to the forefront, one’s callings in life take on a new element; they become more significant, operating at a greater depth. This encourages those who are undertaking vocational reflection and discernment to consider the quality of their callings, rather than simply being satisfied that they have found one. The chapter draws heavily on the poetry of Guru Nanak, considered the founder of Sikhism, whose meditations on death—and on how an awareness of death shapes one’s life—suggest a new perspective on vocation. Nanak’s approach is compared with two Christian figures, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr., who also considered how our consciousness of death shapes the quality and depth of our vocations.