The Three Near Death Questions

Brandon BurchardBy Desmond Yeoh SC

Brendon Burchard is the bestselling author of ‘Golden Ticket’ and ‘The Millionaire Messenger’. When he was 19, he was riding as a passenger in a car with his friend, Kevin, driving down a road at about 140km/h, unaware of a sharp curve down ahead.  When they eventually hit the curve, Kevin slammed on the breaks but it was too late.  The car spun off the road and flipped sideways multiple times.

As the car was flipping, everything went into slow motion for Brendon. He was sure that he would not survive the crash but he was not yet ready to die. As the car flipped, an important question struck him: Did I live?

Subsequently, his life flashed through his mind. The scenes were vivid and real and they produced strong emotions within him. Most of the memories involved his beloved family members and the second crucial question hit him: Did I love?

After what seemed to be an eternity, the car finally stopped flipping. His friend Kevin struggled to get out of the car while yelling at him to get out too. Brandon crawled out through the broken front windscreen and was cut by broken shards of glass all over. When he finally made it through, he realised that he was covered with blood. He saw the impossibility of surviving this and began to weep. At the deepest point of despair, the third and final question came to him: Did I matter?

Three crucial questions we may be called to answer when nearing death:

  • Did I live?
  • Did I love?
  • Did I matter?

These are the three powerful questions that Brandon has shared with the world and which we could contemplate on in silent meditation. These questions may stir up strong emotions within us and it is useful to observe those emotions as they provide insights into how we really think. There are no right answers to these questions. Their true purpose is to make us look deeply within ourselves. So, try it!