The Power Of Detail By Natalie Goldberg

Samantha Meyer
Dr. Skebe
Introduction to Analytical Writing
November 8, 2011

The Little Things

Life is unpredictable, and sometimes out of control. A constant part of any person’s life is change. It is something we cannot control and is always happening. Sometimes life gets so crazy and fast pace that we forget about the little things. People can get into such a flow of life that we tend to move past the small things, not realizing little details, and focusing on the big picture. In “The Power of Detail” by Natalie Goldberg, she discusses the importance of minor details in our lives. In “On the Fear of the Dead” by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, she writes about how death is something people rarely talk about and fear. In life we fear death because instead of focusing on the present and what is happening, we are more concerned with the future and what will happen. Memories are something every person has within their life. Memories are usually big events that have some sort of significance in the person’s life. Whether it is your 5th birthday party, a relative dying, or graduating high school everyone has memories. The things people don’t all have are the small details that make up those memories. Like the cake had a rainbow on it, what the relative was wearing the last time you saw them, or all your friends names from high school. In the “Power of Detail” by Natalie Goldberg, she explains how life can be different if you pay attention to the smaller things. She gives the advice, “Be awake to the details around you, but don’t be self-conscious (Goldberg 41).” If you pay more attention you may not only appreciate life as a whole more but your own individual life. Goldberg believes, “We live and we die, age beautifully or full of wrinkles. We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded (Goldberg 43).” Whether she means recorded, as on paper or in our minds people should remember the details of their lives. In Natalie Goldberg’s words, “Our details our important. Otherwise, if they are not, we can drop a bomb and it doesn’t matter (Goldberg 43).” The details to our lives make us the person we are today. Goldberg shares an important lesson in her writing. She explains, “…step forward with a yes on our lips so there can be no more noes in the world, noes that invalidate life and stop these details from continuing (Goldberg 44).” Without remembering and appreciating the small things we forget about what is important. We also forget how fast everything can change and how fast life is. The fear of death and dying is very common. It has been something continuing to increase. In “On the Fear of Death” by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, she explains, “…in the last few decades, changes that are ultimately responsible for the increased fear of death, the rising number of emotional problems, and the greater need for understanding of and coping with the problems of death and dying (Kubler-Ross 2).” Kubler-Ross believes that the future and change is playing the biggest part in the increase of people afraid of death. Instead of living life everyday without worry, and enjoying life people are more concerned with what we can change to make life better and how to improve life. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross argues that this is the reason for the fear of death. She explains this when saying, “The more we are making advancements in science, the more we seem to fear and deny the reality of death (Kubler-Ross 5).” Kubler-Ross argues that before technology and hospitals because so advanced people use to be able to die in the peace of their own homes. Now more people are remembering their last times of life in a hospital. She believes this makes dying lonely and impersonal and makes a patient no longer a person. Decisions are made often without their opinion. She asks an important question at the end, “Are we becoming less human or more human?” (Kubler-Ross 7) Another question to consider is, are we so focused on what could happen that we forget to realize what is happening? It is important to enjoy the little things in life because one day you might look back and realize you focused on the wrong things. “Power of Detail” and “On the Fear of Death” both explain two complete different concepts. One concept being, appreciating details and the little things that make up your life. The other being, how people fear death because of constant change and forgetting about what is important in life. When taking both of these concepts into consideration you may realize that they both have similar lessons. If we didn’t spend so much time thinking about when our lives will end, how they will end, and when other people will die we would pay attention to more detail. If we also just stopped thinking into things we would appreciate our family and friends. We wouldn’t have regret after a person dies. We also wouldn’t have regret when we think, “I should have done this, I wish I could have done that” when our own life starts to end. Without actually coming out and saying it these two pieces or work share a lesson about appreciating life and figuring out what is important. Life is something precious and special. We sometimes forget as human beings that life is a gift and not a challenge. If we stop once and a while in our crazy, fast pace lives and realize how special, important, and lucky our lives really are we may become happier and less stressed. Instead of thinking of the challenges, the sad aspects, and the stressful situations in life we should realize the small details that make us who we are and make us happy. Instead of fearing death we should appreciate life when we still have it.

Works Cited
Goldberg, Natalie. “The Power of Detail.” Writing down the bones: freeing the writer within. Boston: Shambala, 1986.
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth. “On the Fear of Death.” On Death and Dying. New York, Simon and Schuster, 1997.