Death. The end or the beginning?

A phone call came in yesterday. A relative- Grand Uncle has passed on. Grief? Sadness? Tears? We associate all of that with death and yes, funeral.

"Funny how laughing looks like crying with no sound"

Most of us try to avoid the rain, but they do not understand one thing; you need a bit of rain to see a rainbow.

I guess it's a topic that none of us, the young generation of today- would like to sit down and take time in giving a deeper thought.

When a person passes on, it almost seems so surreal. You can hear to all sorts of comments such as, "I just saw him the other day, he was just fine", "Poor thing, I wonder how the wife can take it", "All those years ill-treating the father, now that he has gone, surely they'll regret it" etc.

Familiar, no?

When a person passes on, don't we all agree that it's no more longer about the deceased, but the living ones, the family members, so to speak.

Us- the living ones.

Pros: Learning how to take care of each other, getting closer as a family.

Cons: Fighting over what belongs to them, Regrets over the death- blaming each other, or worse, yourself.

I have gone through a death experience with a dear family friend. A man with so much pride in what he does, which includes his sacrifice of time for well, his family, wife and daughter. When he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, it brought his pride down- firm and grounded, with a little bit of struggle no less. It was his last bit of his life, and when our family grew closer to him, he shared his life, moments of achievements, and his pride towards his family- his daughter. How he knows what his work has made him sacrificed, which he has to let go without regrets. The clock was ticking and his body rapidly weakens day by day. He passed on peacefully a month after.

My grand uncle was lucky, I would say. He might not have the best when he was living, but he certainly did not passed on with the clock ticking by his bed. I can say, he died a "good death". It was fast, no suffering, but you know that term, living in hell?

We live in a world which is pretty much all about cause-and-effect. Or in a term we all can relate to, karma? So the saying goes, "If you have treated someone good in your early days, life will treat you good until you pass on"

The end of mistakes- The beginning of wisdom.

I guess this Christmas season has brought us early presents- learning point for each and everyone of us- hopefully- it'll knock some sense into some people who need some knocking. :/

To death: Cheers! As for the rest, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. :)