Tuesday, March 3, 2015
No, this post isn't about Mr Lee Kuan Yew, this post is about the impact of his death, or death in general. Death is such a weird thing; it happens in an instant (figuratively speaking)- when the heart stops beating and one stops breathing. One second you are alive and the next... you are gone, forever. The idea of "ceasing to exist" doesn't really sink in very well for me. Not to be overly blunt (or rude or cynical) but does the passing of someone, someone who's not part of our life, really affect us? Why do people become so concerned and so bonded over a death all of a sudden? Is it because they really care? Or is it because everyone else is? Or... maybe it's just because it's a life lost?
To be honest, we probably will not notice the disappearance of a person unless he or she is someone we encounter often, if not every day. I mean, how long does the impact of death last? The celebration of the good and the positivity of a life. How long do people say nice things about them and appreciate them for the good they were when they were alive? Why do people only appreciate someone, out loud, through eulogies at funerals but not when they were alive? Are people hypocrites? Probably, myself included.
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to hear your eulogy read to you, when you still can hear it (but of course, it wouldn't be called a "eulogy" then). Appreciating someone should come when it happens, not for you to make a mental note like "Oh, this person did this, I'm going to remember to add that to the list of good things he/she did!" Why wouldn't you just say it, express your gratitude and appreciation then and there? Why wait? What are you waiting for? Why don't we cherish our time alive and do, and say, what we want to instead of waiting for the time to be right, or, in extreme, when the time comes for us to draft our eulogies for someone?
I think, if you think about death a lot, you might become braver; for what can be worst than death itself- the end of everything.
To be honest, we probably will not notice the disappearance of a person unless he or she is someone we encounter often, if not every day. I mean, how long does the impact of death last? The celebration of the good and the positivity of a life. How long do people say nice things about them and appreciate them for the good they were when they were alive? Why do people only appreciate someone, out loud, through eulogies at funerals but not when they were alive? Are people hypocrites? Probably, myself included.
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to hear your eulogy read to you, when you still can hear it (but of course, it wouldn't be called a "eulogy" then). Appreciating someone should come when it happens, not for you to make a mental note like "Oh, this person did this, I'm going to remember to add that to the list of good things he/she did!" Why wouldn't you just say it, express your gratitude and appreciation then and there? Why wait? What are you waiting for? Why don't we cherish our time alive and do, and say, what we want to instead of waiting for the time to be right, or, in extreme, when the time comes for us to draft our eulogies for someone?
I think, if you think about death a lot, you might become braver; for what can be worst than death itself- the end of everything.