MANY of them have left us and more... or all... are to follow the cycle of life. We are born, we live and then we die or euphemistically, we say, "... pass away." Humans are resigned to the idea that at a certain point we leave earth and depending on various beliefs, we go elsewhere, or remain with the earth in various forms. There have been friends who wanted their ashes scattered in the sea, others on the slopes of Kennon Rd., and still others, from a plane across the cordilleras. No matter how we go or when, it is when youth is wasted on death that we start to question. The youth should live forever because that’s how it feels to be young, or until the time is ripe, like when humans reach the age where passing away is just around the corner; or when people come to the age that says the departure area has been reached and those who are there are prepared to take the next flight to destiny.
We grieve, we shake our heads at the sudden loss of friends or people close to us and we question... we wonder why the young have to go too, their lives suddenly shortened, their future no longer marked, their loved ones seeking their presence still. But sadly, questions and wonderings go unanswered and humans... we, have to accept what life has offered us. It seems it is all right to leave creation when we have had a fill of it, when the years have been lived and we know nothing more’s to come. But when the young go, we are at a loss to rationalize why they weren’t given a longer time to do more, to share more joy with others by their mere presence. But...our questions really fall on deaf ears, so it seems...the answers come only when we too are about to leave the world or when life provides a reply somewhere in the course of living. When something sad or beyond our control happens, we often say, “That’s life.” This is most people’s idea of existence...just that, nothing more.
Of course this is not all there is to life. There’s more and so much more but it takes positive experiences and thoughts that are repeatedly hammered into our consciousness that define a person’s way of looking and responding to what life has to offer. Not all of us are blessed with these, however. In the meantime, we live hoping to make the best of what we can, hoping to reach dreams of many colors and nationalities...the American dream, the Filipino dream and other desires and fantasies our minds can reach.
When we come to those who pass away at a ripe age, in conditions that befit their persons, we say silent prayers to wish them farewell, as though passing away was the most logical way to go. There are few regrets but many wishes that in the afterlife, they could still be looking down at us with favor and a smile. Opposite to this is what we feel when someone has been snatched away without warning or preparation, especially when they are young. Sadness becomes almost perpetual. Still others, choose to take away their lives and those who are left behind are dumbfounded, eternally feeling guilty and punished. Life and living are mysterious, sacred, tedious, wonderful or as beautiful as one fancies. Perhaps we have to take a stand, a decision on how we are going to live life and how we are going to respond to the unbroken line of happy surprises and sudden misfortunes. We are human, as human as our weaknesses make us. Yet, we are also divine, as divine as our strength of character and values have sculpted us. We were born with honor in our spirits and no matter how we live, our honor will never leave us so long as we take care of it. This is life; the journey can be short or long. Whichever way it goes, let’s make the trip worthwhile, with our honor intact, coupled with a strong character and values that spur us on, our spirits can be free to roam creation with little regret. We keep in mind that life is short but time goes on with or without us, so time is forever. I love you Baguio.
(To friends and people who have gone on, I dedicate these thoughts most especially to Jane Lartec, Ramon Cho, Nap Javier and Rhea. May the wings of heaven carry you to better lives ahead.)