Indeed, I put much of my time and energy to complete my work. Ironically, now that all this is over, I find myself having to handle difficult situations with a sense of emptiness and boredom. This task that I put so much work in and, yet, was also dreading with every passing moment, seemed to gained a lot of value. I experienced the same feeling when I had finished writing and proofreading a long piece. Every time, I realised that I ended up asking the same questions.
- What was the point of it all?
- What did I achieve from all this?
- Would I be better off doing something else?
I did find some time to meditate during the time I was writing. Yet, my thoughts were often occupied on what I should include in the piece, whether I could express a particular idea more clearly, etc. So, once the tasks were sent off, I promised myself to sit in a quiet place and contemplate the feeling of emptiness and apathy that appeared to have taken over. It was then that I thought about the phrase “Nothing Lasts Forever.
When we say”nothing lasts forever, we often mean it as a verbal equivalent of sighing. We reminisce about the happy times that are now ended. At least what I understand when I hear that phrase being uttered. However, we forget that the non-lasting nature of things, or their impermanence, is part of reality. In this sense, while we miss those happy times, this impermanent characteristic of reality also applies for unpleasant things in life. While it is understandable that we prefer moments of happiness and pleasure, they are linked to pain and suffering in the continuum of life.
In simpler terms, impermanence allows for life and death and a cycle of rebirth that happens each day in the world. Ultimately, all of us must face our end, and beyond this life, we cannot be with anyone else living on this world. This might sound sad and death is a subject many would rather avoid. Those who know about my background know that I’m no stranger to death. I became aware of it durimg my childhood, was close to dying in my late teens and, recently, was an unaware witness of a dying man. The fact that I have thought about this topic very hard over the course of these 29 years doesn’t make me any wiser about what happens after death. I have found refuge in the past in the belief of an afterlife but there are no certainties, except that someday I’ll have to leave this body and this life.
Unfortunately, in the minority world (or “developed countries”), we tend to hide away from death. Indeed, it’s quite rare for children to come into contact with death or able to see it in real life. I am not saying that witnessing a dying person’s last moments should be commendable for children in any way. However, I don’t believe that being witness to a natural death is as traumatic as it is perceived. Yet, considering how many scenes of violence and death children in the minority world are being exposed to on the mass media and on social media, one wonders whether this is that healthy as there is no time or place to reflect about the images, sounds or experience that are witnessed. And, even though we can watch and listen to real instances of death, the reality is that these sensory stimulations fail to capture the uniqueness of each dying moment.
CONTINUES...
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