Polar Opposites

I have two issues on my mind that I need to clear out. The only way I can do that I figured is to just write here. Anyway, I'd been thinking vaguely about death, and, interestingly enough, love.

I happened to be watching Globe Trekker, Ian Wright as the host of course and he went to Mexico, or as the locals call it," Me-hi-co". Apparently, the biggest event in the whole year is the Day of the Dead, on the 1st of November, kinda close to the what the West call Halloween on the 31st October. Unlike the West and Asia, these Mexicans and I believe the other Latin Americans celebrate the dead, and not mourn them. They have like feasts for the dead at the cemetery and I suppose for some reason, the dead have a sweet tooth because there were all these chocolate and sugar skulls on sale where you can have the late family member's name written on the skull and its supposed to be good for you or something. On the day itself, all this food is made for the loved one, and every one goes to the cemetery at night and they stay there the whole night, praying and eating. The spirits are supposed to mingle with the living during the night. Its quite personal because the living remember the one who passed but I think its more like, they don't get upset but just remember them fondly. So at the cemetery there are different little knots of people around different tombstones, obviously meaning the different families with their remembrances of their loved one. In the morning, the spirits go back and the living go home.

I don't think that's all, because I think that their whole attitude towards death is far more healthy then the conventional ones in the West and in Asia. Not only does everyone remember those gone at least once a year, but its something that's not shunned. Its talked about and out there in the open, which makes sense because death is the ONE thing that's certain for EVERYONE. Even taxes aren't certain for EVERYONE, because in countries where governments are supremely messed up and doesn't even exist, I believe there aren't any taxes. Of course I could be wrong too. My point is, since everyone will pass on eventually, and yes it is a sad thing that, that person will no longer be speaking and being around us, it doesn't mean that they're gone forever. This may sound cliche but I really do think that a person is only gone when nobody remembers him or her. Even if you've passed away, if your living loved ones remember you constantly, and not always sadly, you're not forgotten and therefore still around. For those who had such tortured lives, isn't it better that they've been released from that life that was causing them so much pain? Those that had such full lives, who lived to ripe old ages, finally can sleep peacefully, having completely lived out their lives and achieved all that they want out of it. Even those who left us too early, usually by tragic and unfortunate accidents, yes we must mourn the tragedy because they could have had such great lives, those who had everything going for them. However, at the same time, maybe it can be thought that they're moving on, to maybe an even better life, because if you left too early, maybe it wasn't the right time for you, but it will be next time. As you can tell I believe in karma and in reincarnation and I guess that that helps me with death. I think that we should mourn the dead, only because we cannot talk directly to them; because we cannot ask them questions and advice and hear their opinion. And I think we shouldn't shun from talking about death, because, by shunning and avoiding, its very close to fearing, and fearing something that's bound to happen at some point in time is useless and not sensible.

This post is quite long already and I don't think I want to mix death with love. Not because I shun the topic, or because I still think that they're too different, because technically, they're quite closely connected, but because people scold me for the super long posts. So I think I'll end off here.

shini