Sunday, November 02, 2008 Lim: On dying By Melanie T. Lim Wide Awake
WHILE many of us fear death and find it a morbid subject to speak of, those of my generation, I think, are more accepting of death than those of my parents’ generation.
This may be because we see life differently. We are not as self-sacrificing as our parents. Neither are we as forward-thinking as them. We tend to live in the NOW because we believe, deep down, that tomorrow may not arrive.
We work hard. We play hard. There lies the difference. Our parents work hard and work hard and work hard.
Old folks may consider our lifestyles selfish and wasteful. I’m not going to correct them. After all, they are borne of a generation prepared to sacrifice their own lives so that many generations after them can live comfortable lives. Neither will I berate them for without the sacrifices of my grandparents and parents, I would not be living the life I live now.
But we will probably never live like our parents. We will probably never think beyond our children and grandchildren (if and when they arrive) because we are a selfish generation absorbed with the here and now. Ironically, I think it is our selfishness that has allowed us to be more accepting of our mortality.
Perhaps, because we greedily take in all that life has to offer, it is easier for us to let go, knowing we have done it all or at least, tried to do it all. We ask for no moratorium and probably because we don’t deserve it. We’ve had enough—-more than enough. We cannot ask for more.
Each time I leave home—-I am usually always prepared not to come back. It’s not a premonition of imminent death. It’s just the way I am. All my adult life, I have always accepted the fact that my life on Earth will one day end. But I’ve always believed that there is an afterlife.
If God never saw it fit to abandon me in this life, I see no reason to believe that He will desert me in the afterlife. So what have I got to fear? I live by God’s grace every day of my life. And I understand that every day I am alive, it must be because God still has some use for me.
Perhaps, there is something more He wants me to say or do, something more He wants me to realize and learn, something more He wants me to teach and pass on to others. The moment God decides it’s time for me to go, I will not fight it. For then, I will know that my work on Earth is finished. I don’t imagine myself indispensable. The work in this life will never be done but there are many others who can take my place anytime. And so I go where God commands.
I have lived my life the best way I can. I have pursued my dreams. I have celebrated every moment. I have fought for what I believed in. I have done what I can to make life better for everyone. I have worked hard to complete every task given to me. I have loved lavishly and lived passionately. I have asked forgiveness for my sins.
In my life, I have always endeavored not to inconvenience anyone. In death, I hope and pray that God will grant me one wish—-that I bring no inconvenience to the living who should not mourn but celebrate my passing.
