How Death Came to the World

In the beginning of human time, death did not exist in the world. The first people lived in a paradise where no one grew old, no one suffered from sickness, and no one ever had to say goodbye forever. The earth was abundant, the sky was always gentle, and Nyame the Sky God walked among his people like a loving father among his children.

But even paradise had its rules, for without boundaries, even the greatest gifts become meaningless.

Nyame called the first man, Ɔdamankoma, and the first woman, Ɔdomankama, to the center of the sacred grove where the Tree of Life grew. Its branches stretched high into the clouds, and its roots reached deep into the heart of the earth.

“My children,” said Nyame, his voice both tender and serious, “I have given you a world without ending, but I must also give you choice, for love that is forced is not love at all.”

He pointed to two paths that led away from the Tree of Life. One path was wide and smooth, paved with golden stones and lined with fruit trees heavy with sweet offerings. The other path was narrow and rocky, winding through thorns and shadows toward a distant mountain peak.

“The wide path leads to the Land of Eternal Life,” Nyame explained. “If you take this path, you and all your descendants will live forever in perfect peace. You will never know sorrow, but you will also never know the deep joy that comes from overcoming hardship. You will never lose anything, but you will also never appreciate what you have.”

Ɔdamankoma and Ɔdomankama looked at the golden path and felt its strong appeal. Who would not choose eternal ease?

“But the narrow path,” continued Nyame, “leads to the Land of Choice and Consequence. If you take this path, you will know both joy and sorrow, gain and loss, birth and death. Your time will be limited, but because it is limited, it will be precious. You will face challenges that will help you grow wise and strong. You will experience love that is deepened by the knowledge that it is not eternal.”

The first humans looked at each other with uncertainty. The choice seemed obvious—who would choose difficulty over ease?

“There is one more thing,” said Nyame gently. “If you choose the narrow path, you will not walk it alone. I will walk with you, not as your protector from all hardship, but as your companion through all experiences. And at the end of each life, those who have learned to love truly will join me in a place beyond both paths, where the best of both eternal peace and meaningful struggle exist together.”

Ɔdamankoma spoke first: “Great Nyame, the choice seems clear. Why would we choose hardship when we could choose ease?”

But Ɔdomankama had been listening not just to the words but to something deeper. “My husband,” she said slowly, “listen to what the Sky God is really offering. On the golden path, we would be like children forever, never growing, never becoming more than we are now. On the narrow path, we would become—” she searched for the word, “—we would become truly alive.”

They debated through the day and into the night. Ɔdamankoma argued for safety and certainty. Ɔdomankama argued for growth and meaning. Their discussion was not angry but thoughtful, each trying to understand what would be best not just for themselves but for all the children who would come after them.

Finally, as the sun rose on the second day, they reached their decision together.

“Great Nyame,” said Ɔdomankama, “we choose the narrow path.”

Ɔdamankoma nodded, though his voice trembled slightly. “We choose to become truly human, with all that means—the sorrow and the joy, the fear and the courage, the endings and the beginnings.”

Nyame smiled, but there were tears in his eyes. “You have chosen wisely, my children, though you do not yet understand the full weight of your choice. Because you have chosen with courage rather than fear, I will give you gifts to help you on your journey.”

To Ɔdomankama, he gave intuition—the ability to sense truths that cannot be seen. To Ɔdamankoma, he gave determination—the strength to keep moving forward even when the path grew dark. To both of them together, he gave love—not the easy affection of paradise, but the deep, costly love that chooses to care even when caring brings pain.

“And one more gift,” said Nyame. “Though death will now be part of your world, it will not be an ending but a transformation. When your time on earth is complete, you will understand what lies beyond, and you will know that every moment of joy and sorrow was preparing you for that understanding.”

As the first humans stepped onto the narrow path, they felt something they had never experienced before—uncertainty. But with the uncertainty came something else: the exhilarating knowledge that their choices mattered, that their love was real because it was freely given, that their time was precious because it was limited.

Behind them, the golden path began to fade until it was just a memory, a reminder of the road not taken.

The path they had chosen was indeed difficult. They experienced the first illness, the first argument, the first death when their eldest child, grown old and wise, lay down to sleep and did not wake up. But they also experienced the first recovery from illness, the first reconciliation after anger, the first joy of new life born into a family that understood how precious it was.

They learned that death, rather than being the enemy of life, was what gave life its urgency and meaning. Because their time was limited, they learned to cherish each sunrise, each shared meal, each moment of laughter with their children.

And when their own time came to walk beyond the narrow path, they understood at last what Nyame had meant. Death was not a punishment for their choice, but the final gift—the doorway to a realm where they could carry all they had learned about love and courage and hope into something greater than they had ever imagined.

Their descendants, the Akan people, remember this choice and honor it. They do not curse death as an evil, but acknowledge it as the teacher that makes life meaningful. They celebrate the lives of those who have passed beyond the narrow path, knowing that every ending is also a beginning, every goodbye a promise of reunion in that place beyond both paths where Nyame waits with arms open wide.

For they understand that the first humans chose not just for themselves, but for all humanity—the difficult, beautiful, heartbreaking, joy-filled gift of truly being alive.