Death and Life |4|
I have been completely thrown off track for more than two weeks …
We experienced the very sad passing away of a member of the Indo Dutch community here in Eindhoven on 11 November 2015 as a result of a sudden heart attack. He was only 41 years old and is survived by his strong wife and brave young son.
Two days later, the tragic Paris attacks took place causing the city of love to be in mourning. Senseless acts of extreme violence all in the name of ‘God’. I have been touched reading the stories of those directly affected by the violence who intend to continue on with their lives as per normal as best as they can, and not allow their hearts and minds to be polluted by beliefs and opinions that they could have so easily formed in the aftermath of those heinous acts. Unfortunately there are those out there who have acted in an opposite manner and formed opinions and beliefs that are contrary to the essence of humankind.
Death is inevitable for every human being and the countdown to it begins as soon as we are born. I have read several non-religious books by authors who state that the act of dying is one of the most liberating experiences a human being can go through.
I would like to believe that is true however I will only know what it feels like when my time is up and I experience it for myself. It is the people who are left behind who feel the sadness in the absence of the deceased. I experienced this first hand last year when my father in law passed away. Death is never an easy thing to handle especially if it was a family member or a friend. Nevertheless I believe that if we as a society evolve and progress our views of death and have the constant awareness that it is something that no one can escape from, perhaps more of us will treasure the gift of today, the now, this very moment and make it the best yet of our lives. This is the lesson I shall carry forward with me from this day on.
A reminder I wrote to myself on the day we heard about the passing away of our friend:
“Forgive people who may have hurt us. Let go of any disappointments. Intentionally ignore any shortcomings. Be in bliss now, spread it to others and pass it on to our children. Life is short. Let’s appreciate ALL that we have”
Peace and love to all
PreetStyle 