This theme came upon my mind. It just simply did as my wife was helping out with moving some things while baby was having some great grandparenting time. No reason in particular -- the theme just popped in my head.
The first thing that comes to mind is John the Baptist. He said, "He must increase but I must decrease" (John 3.30 ESV) Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1.21 ESV) and Jesus said, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10.39 ESV).
Soaking all of this in gives me the conclusion that in the Christian life, it is the art of dying that brings life. This involves, many times, forsaking a self-serving and self-preserving mentality and dear God is it a pain! Yes, I am very open about my feelings on it because it is nuts.
What I find funny is that most Christian friends I have known don't like the notion of death -- crosses (Christ and others died on it), stakes (some claim Christ died on that instead), death metal, images of death abroad seem frowned upon yet the irony that in order to truly show loyalty to Christ and His Father's majesty all encircles the personal death of self. Mankind, most often than not, is always pinpointing its desires, agendas and goals upon itself, no so much on the other.
Let's be real -- we are in a self-centered way of living and the thought of not living for self isn't all that great for some. Yet it is in this loving of one another, the intent of showing God's kingdom by loving your neighbor that we begin to live -- and this world is already tilting on its head due to its unwillingness to surrender this one track, self-centered, self-destructive state of mind.