Eugene O Kelly Chasing Daylight Sparknotes
Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed my Life
Chasing Daylight is an inspirational memoir written by Eugene O’Kelly, former CEO of KPMG. O’Kelly provides a very personal story of his last 100 days between his terminal diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme and his death in September 2005. This book offers readers an inside look at how O’Kelly was able to accept, prepare and appreciate his medical diagnosis as an opportunity to reflect on his meaningful life. Overall, his writing style is immaculately personalized, allowing readers to empathize and understand both his challenges and his sentimental moments with family and friends.
The book begins with O’Kelly’s unpopular belief of death being a gift. Eugene O’Kelly, the book’s author, was …show more content…
terminally diagnosed with brain cancer at a relatively young age of 54. Upon his diagnosis, he decided that his ‘healthy’ physical state and mind had provided him with an opportunity to approach death differently. Instead of having death looming over him, he utilized his goal-driven outlook as a mechanism to help him prepare for his death. As he pondered on how he would cherish the remainder of his life, he reflected on how his position as CEO had prepared him to adapt to any situation he was given. For example, he mentioned a particular time when he met with the Australian president of KPMG on an airplane, as opposed, to a meeting due to the president’s full calendar. However, his promotions to the CEO position of KPMG compromised the amount of time he would be able to spend with his family. With his inoperable and incurable illness, he quickly learned to acknowledge these moments while also appreciating his remaining time with his close friends and family.
O’Kelly’s ultimate goal was to achieve a sense of full consciousness in the present – to have 100 ‘perfect’ days. Over the course of these 100 days, he created a goal list comprising of two primary objectives: to step down as the CEO of KPMG and to select a medically appropriate protocol, which would allow him to enjoy the rest of his life despite his situations. Both of these goals presented him with the opportunity to learn about life and its moments without being cluttered with the time constraints and a busy work lifestyle. In the memoir, he mentions how he focused mainly on commitment when he was at his healthiest. However, as he neared the end of his life, O’Kelly devoted the rest of his life to consciousness and how he could maximize life’s quality now that longevity became compromised. Although his 100 days were cut short, readers are able to appreciate his philosophical and fortifying outlook on life with his persistent emphasis on focusing on life’s ‘perfect’ moments as opposed to dwelling on the misfortunates that life throws at you along the way.
Throughout the memoir, O’Kelly uses philosophical perspectives that allow him to connect with spirituality, religion and nature. For example, O’Kelly constantly compares life to playing golf and links the transition to death with the sounds of water. These practical signs allow readers to reflect on O’Kelly’s personal life achievements. Golf symbolized Eugene’s devotions to his work ethic and his family. He admired golf for “honour, personal accountability, precision, mental discipline and endurance” (p. 25) and many of these attributes had projected onto his overall character. Throughout the memoir, he created many goals to ensure that every move he would make would be done conscientiously. When projecting this comparison onto his interests for golf, it is evident that O’Kelly was passionate about doing activities and appreciating life with a purpose.
Eugene’s connection to water was another important symbol that marked his willingness to transition from life to death. Since water is commonly associated with cleansing and cleaning, water in this memoir can be seen as a mechanism to clear Eugene’s mind, soul and body. In his memoir, water is used as an element to transition Eugene into the after life. Furthermore, he stated, “I would think about how the river, the water, was the connection between this reality and the next one.” (p. 139). His appreciation for water and nature is further reinforced when he requested that his ashes be spread along the waters of Emerald Bay after his death. Evidently, O’Kelly believed there was a spiritual element in water that sought to provide him with a sense of calmness, peace and serenity as he approached his death.
When connecting O’Kelly’s inspirational memoir to the course material, it is evident that O’Kelly played an active role in preparing for his death. The text mentions a patient’s denial as a hindrance to accepting their death, extending the amount of time patients need to tie up loose ends, create their sense of closure, and prepare for their funeral arrangements (Thompson & Wainwright, 2017). Contrastingly, Eugene accepts his diagnosis early on and readily accepts and embraces death. He further questions why people do not play a more active role nearing the end of their lives if they are capable, stating, “Some people [understand] that you can start putting money away now, so it can grow to be sufficient later in life, when you need it. Why wouldn’t you start doing that now with something at least as important with your money – your soul?” (p. 133). Although O’Kelly may have been in a healthier state of mind than most terminally ill patients, his quote emphasizes the need for people, whether healthy or sick, to prioritize planning for their death at an earlier point in their lives.
O’Kelly’s grieving process was different when he is compared to most dying patients.
Since he planned his death soon after receiving his diagnosis, he was able to re-examine life and his past relationships with five social groups that made a large impact on his life. The text had mentioned a patient that sought to get his affairs in order, but did not actively mention them to his wife (Thompson & Wainwright, 2017). This miscommunication between his wife and his goals made it difficult for family members to provide support and care to the dying individual. In contrast, in the memoir, Eugene readily informed Corinne about his forthcoming plans. This provided Corinne with the opportunity to assist him at accomplishing any of his goals, such as rekindling perfect moments with friends and family members along his five social groups in the event that he experienced a health complication. Therefore, with his strong relationship with his wife and family, Eugene was able to accomplish most, if not all, of his goals before his dying day. Hence, with Eugene’s wife in constant communication of his current wishes, Eugene was able to live a more worthwhile life, which allowed him to connect to his wife on a spiritual
level.
A moment that was of particular interest was O’Kelly’s intentions for saying goodbye to his five rings of friends. He made a pact to himself that he would recall a memorable or happy moment with these individuals and would say his final farewell to them. Saddening, as this may seem, many of O’Kelly’s associates were captivated by the intentions behind his movement. After reading this passage, readers may come to appreciate the friends that they had shared a memory with in their earlier life. For example, a childhood friend and O’Kelly rekindled a memorable moment that they shared together, enjoying each other’s company and their time spent together without dwelling on the idea that this would be the last conversation they would ever share.
Though this book can benefit any reader to actively plan and prepare for their death, this novel can be particularly helpful for individuals that are closely approaching this life milestone. Individuals that have experienced or are currently experiencing providing care for a terminally ill individual can learn from O’Kelly’s philosophical life messages and can become empowered by their acceptance of death. This memoir emphasizes the importance of living in the present moment with consciousness, instead of simply focusing on future goals that deter us from appreciating life that currently surrounds us.
Since everybody will experience death at some point in their lives, O’Kelly’s perspective and reflections shed light on how to live a balanced and meaningful life even when life does not favour such. Upon completion of this novel, readers can appreciate the enlightenment of a more philosophical and spiritual outlook on life. Despite O’Kelly’s short-lived life, he was able to devise an action plan to his advantage. Often times, in social settings, death is an impending yet avoidable topic encompassed with intense emotions of fear, sadness, and anger. However, O’Kelly has done an impeccable job at illustrating it is more important to live a life full of perfect days and full consciousness than it is to seek medical treatments that only work on lengthening your life while jeopardizing one’s happiness.
Chasing Daylight is an inspirational memoir written by Eugene O’Kelly, former CEO of KPMG. O’Kelly provides a very personal story of his last 100 days between his terminal diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme and his death in September 2005. This book offers readers an inside look at how O’Kelly was able to accept, prepare and appreciate his medical diagnosis as an opportunity to reflect on his meaningful life. Overall, his writing style is immaculately personalized, allowing readers to empathize and understand both his challenges and his sentimental moments with family and friends.
The book begins with O’Kelly’s unpopular belief of death being a gift. Eugene O’Kelly, the book’s author, was …show more content…
terminally diagnosed with brain cancer at a relatively young age of 54. Upon his diagnosis, he decided that his ‘healthy’ physical state and mind had provided him with an opportunity to approach death differently. Instead of having death looming over him, he utilized his goal-driven outlook as a mechanism to help him prepare for his death. As he pondered on how he would cherish the remainder of his life, he reflected on how his position as CEO had prepared him to adapt to any situation he was given. For example, he mentioned a particular time when he met with the Australian president of KPMG on an airplane, as opposed, to a meeting due to the president’s full calendar. However, his promotions to the CEO position of KPMG compromised the amount of time he would be able to spend with his family. With his inoperable and incurable illness, he quickly learned to acknowledge these moments while also appreciating his remaining time with his close friends and family.
O’Kelly’s ultimate goal was to achieve a sense of full consciousness in the present – to have 100 ‘perfect’ days. Over the course of these 100 days, he created a goal list comprising of two primary objectives: to step down as the CEO of KPMG and to select a medically appropriate protocol, which would allow him to enjoy the rest of his life despite his situations. Both of these goals presented him with the opportunity to learn about life and its moments without being cluttered with the time constraints and a busy work lifestyle. In the memoir, he mentions how he focused mainly on commitment when he was at his healthiest. However, as he neared the end of his life, O’Kelly devoted the rest of his life to consciousness and how he could maximize life’s quality now that longevity became compromised. Although his 100 days were cut short, readers are able to appreciate his philosophical and fortifying outlook on life with his persistent emphasis on focusing on life’s ‘perfect’ moments as opposed to dwelling on the misfortunates that life throws at you along the way.
Throughout the memoir, O’Kelly uses philosophical perspectives that allow him to connect with spirituality, religion and nature. For example, O’Kelly constantly compares life to playing golf and links the transition to death with the sounds of water. These practical signs allow readers to reflect on O’Kelly’s personal life achievements. Golf symbolized Eugene’s devotions to his work ethic and his family. He admired golf for “honour, personal accountability, precision, mental discipline and endurance” (p. 25) and many of these attributes had projected onto his overall character. Throughout the memoir, he created many goals to ensure that every move he would make would be done conscientiously. When projecting this comparison onto his interests for golf, it is evident that O’Kelly was passionate about doing activities and appreciating life with a purpose.
Eugene’s connection to water was another important symbol that marked his willingness to transition from life to death. Since water is commonly associated with cleansing and cleaning, water in this memoir can be seen as a mechanism to clear Eugene’s mind, soul and body. In his memoir, water is used as an element to transition Eugene into the after life. Furthermore, he stated, “I would think about how the river, the water, was the connection between this reality and the next one.” (p. 139). His appreciation for water and nature is further reinforced when he requested that his ashes be spread along the waters of Emerald Bay after his death. Evidently, O’Kelly believed there was a spiritual element in water that sought to provide him with a sense of calmness, peace and serenity as he approached his death.
When connecting O’Kelly’s inspirational memoir to the course material, it is evident that O’Kelly played an active role in preparing for his death. The text mentions a patient’s denial as a hindrance to accepting their death, extending the amount of time patients need to tie up loose ends, create their sense of closure, and prepare for their funeral arrangements (Thompson & Wainwright, 2017). Contrastingly, Eugene accepts his diagnosis early on and readily accepts and embraces death. He further questions why people do not play a more active role nearing the end of their lives if they are capable, stating, “Some people [understand] that you can start putting money away now, so it can grow to be sufficient later in life, when you need it. Why wouldn’t you start doing that now with something at least as important with your money – your soul?” (p. 133). Although O’Kelly may have been in a healthier state of mind than most terminally ill patients, his quote emphasizes the need for people, whether healthy or sick, to prioritize planning for their death at an earlier point in their lives.
O’Kelly’s grieving process was different when he is compared to most dying patients.
Since he planned his death soon after receiving his diagnosis, he was able to re-examine life and his past relationships with five social groups that made a large impact on his life. The text had mentioned a patient that sought to get his affairs in order, but did not actively mention them to his wife (Thompson & Wainwright, 2017). This miscommunication between his wife and his goals made it difficult for family members to provide support and care to the dying individual. In contrast, in the memoir, Eugene readily informed Corinne about his forthcoming plans. This provided Corinne with the opportunity to assist him at accomplishing any of his goals, such as rekindling perfect moments with friends and family members along his five social groups in the event that he experienced a health complication. Therefore, with his strong relationship with his wife and family, Eugene was able to accomplish most, if not all, of his goals before his dying day. Hence, with Eugene’s wife in constant communication of his current wishes, Eugene was able to live a more worthwhile life, which allowed him to connect to his wife on a spiritual
level.
A moment that was of particular interest was O’Kelly’s intentions for saying goodbye to his five rings of friends. He made a pact to himself that he would recall a memorable or happy moment with these individuals and would say his final farewell to them. Saddening, as this may seem, many of O’Kelly’s associates were captivated by the intentions behind his movement. After reading this passage, readers may come to appreciate the friends that they had shared a memory with in their earlier life. For example, a childhood friend and O’Kelly rekindled a memorable moment that they shared together, enjoying each other’s company and their time spent together without dwelling on the idea that this would be the last conversation they would ever share.
Though this book can benefit any reader to actively plan and prepare for their death, this novel can be particularly helpful for individuals that are closely approaching this life milestone. Individuals that have experienced or are currently experiencing providing care for a terminally ill individual can learn from O’Kelly’s philosophical life messages and can become empowered by their acceptance of death. This memoir emphasizes the importance of living in the present moment with consciousness, instead of simply focusing on future goals that deter us from appreciating life that currently surrounds us.
Since everybody will experience death at some point in their lives, O’Kelly’s perspective and reflections shed light on how to live a balanced and meaningful life even when life does not favour such. Upon completion of this novel, readers can appreciate the enlightenment of a more philosophical and spiritual outlook on life. Despite O’Kelly’s short-lived life, he was able to devise an action plan to his advantage. Often times, in social settings, death is an impending yet avoidable topic encompassed with intense emotions of fear, sadness, and anger. However, O’Kelly has done an impeccable job at illustrating it is more important to live a life full of perfect days and full consciousness than it is to seek medical treatments that only work on lengthening your life while jeopardizing one’s happiness.