DEATH!. . .
The freedom of the spirit is right in the arms of death where no filth or dirt can dim its light.Though tears and mourning may be its trail but the heavens rejoice at the death of the righteous. While earth loses, it remains heaven’s gain.
Death will always be that phenomenon no one can ever understand or overcome.
We see it as the end of life.
We obviously perceive it as the stop of one’s clock but it goes far beyond breath and change of address.
The memories of the last moments of the passing of a loved one will always linger all through the days of our lives. They initially surface with tears. . . Helplessly, we drench and drown in a sea of boundless sorrows. The thought of what we could or couldn’t do to prevent the inevitable keeps pounding hard as accepting and making peace with the reality becomes so difficult and totally unreasonable.
Strangely, this is the way of life and of man. . . Each day comes with a loss of a soul and a gain of another..
Life and death are life sworn partners each celebrated in their different rites… Food, drinks and music the heart of their celebration. While birth remains the arrival like in the case of a travel passenger in air travel scenario because it signifies a welcome, death clearly connotes the departure because it is a state where the individual returns to the place of origin.
Those leaving in most cases go happily while their loved ones cry in pain of their loss … Ironically, at birth, the child cries while the people make merry and rejoice on their arrival.
The constant lesson here remains that it is an inevitable end for every human person and all creation in simple terms.
Quite often, we wish there is a way man can live forever, wishing there are things we could do to remain immortal but that’s far beyond the grasp of man… However, one thing happens to mimic immortality which is why the dead are always remembered either in a good way or bad way and that thing is called character! The good or bad character we exhibit or exude while alive does not end in death rather it precedes our name whenever it is said or mentioned. The memory of who we are does not end in death, that’s why someone can be dead and still be looked on by another as their role model. . .
That’s also why someone can be laid in state and still be an inspiration or influencer.
Wake keeps and service of songs are mostly a reflection for those who are deep, philosophical and wise. It’s a time to take stock and assess how well one has truly lived this life picturing in mind what the report about you will be when that inevitable day eventually comes.
Death for me will always be a reminder that there is time called return and a door called exit where everyone who came into this world by birth will use on their time of exit just the same way they were let into this world through a passage called womb. My question now is, how prepared are you when that time comes? Do you even think about it at any point at all? When you attend wake keeps and burials, what goes on in your mind? Does your life right now qualify to be an inspiration to others? Can you still be someone’s role model when the inevitable beckons? How do you like to be remembered when you are gone? Will history immortalise you because of your good works or bad deeds? Will you dearly be missed for being the real human?
We recently buried our mother and I must tell you that i was not only in awe but challenged at her funeral even as her daughter because men, women and even children not only made themselves available to pay their last respect but also clamoured over each other just to have the chance to give their wonderful testimonies of her selflessness and commitment to humanity and a better world. I came back asking myself questions like, am I even doing enough compared to what I heard people testify at my mum’s funeral?
What life are you living right now? Do you think your tale will motivate any soul as my mum’s did? It’s truly not late to start writing our story and how we want history to immortalise us. All we need to do is be good, value lives, reach out and heal the world!
