The other day, I had visited the house of a family friend to condole the death of his father. He had retired from the government service about twenty-three years back at a senior position and was not pulling on well for the last one month. He expired during the previous night and it was almost mid-noon that everyone was anxiously waiting for his elder son’s arrival who was currently based in Bengaluru. Close relatives were in a hurry and worried that further delay in funeral might lead to decomposition of the body of the deceased.
During my stay at his house and subsequently till the funeral of the deceased, I noticed that people, even close relatives, were addressing the deceased mostly as ‘Body’ rather than conventional addresses based on actual relation with him. People used phrases like: “Properly cover the Body”, “Body may start decomposing”, “Bring the Body”, “Put the Body on Funeral Pyre”, etc. Suddenly, I realized that I have heard so many times similar phrases on almost all such occasions of death in families of friends and relatives.
Is it not very philosophical yet strange? As soon as a person dies, his (or her) identity becomes a ‘Body’. Even very close people prefer to call the person as ‘Body’ rather than by the actual worldly relationship with the deceased or address at least respectfully by his name. These are the same people whom the person might have helped or favoured or tried to impress during his life umpteen times.
I have seen people who struggle entire life to create more and more wealth and durable assets by employing all ethical and unethical means. Despite all this, an overwhelming majority of same people are unable to properly eat what they would love to eat, unable to wear what they would love to wear and unable to live the way they would love to live.
As a wise man said, “Live a life to impress the Creator and not the Creation.” If this is the ultimate truth of life, why not take full chances with life without inhibitions or fear. It’s wise for the person to spend earned money freely on things which will bring comfort to his body and delight his heart, to laugh freely till stomach hurts, to play and dance even if one is not too good at it…in short be child-like and do everything to enjoy life to the fullest extent.
Death is not the greatest loss in life. Loss is when you stop living for whatever reason. Loss is when you are so much attached with the past that you stop living the present. Loss is when you are so disappointed with failures that you stop taking new initiatives. Loss is when the life starts dying inside you while you are still alive…
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