Still Contemplating Death



Chinese coffins are really huge and personally, I do think they are ugly and invoke eerie feelings too. In the olden days, true blood Chinese fears not having a good coffin to be buried in and a man may scrimp and save money to buy one. If he happens to buy one in his lifetime, he may keep it at home, drag it along with him wherever he goes and even sleep in it at night! So, do you think people of the past view death negatively or do they take death as something realistic? As we know, death is really inevitable. Healthy or diseased, a man who is born is bound to go that way sooner or later and even if we need not broach on the subject, why should some people try to avoid talking about death, brushing it away as a negative and pessimistic subject when we happen to touch on the subject? Isn’t it good for us to contemplate on death occasionally, even daily so that we can prepare for the inevitable and hence, live a full and meaningful life instead of wasting it away, thinking that this will never happen to us?

Comments

keeyit said…
Yeah, I agreed on chinese believe that a good coffin can bring good luck to grandchildren.
footiam said…
Oh! I didn't know that. Thanks!
I told my parents and husband that when I die, just wrap me up and bury me.
I heard that there is a coffin in the mosque which is used to carry dead bodies to the burial ground and the dead is buried without the coffin. Is it true?
footiam said…
I think so. But for them, the dead will be wrapped up with a white cloth called kain kapan. They have to be buried as soon as possible before the sun sets. For me, I think I want to be cremated. But I really don't care, if nobody do nothing to my body, then let it rot. See if people can stand the stench! Ha! Ha! I am dead then an d so, I can bear anything! I really think when we are aware that life is so fleeting, we have to live it right. It's not just about having fun, doing things we like but more about living it meaningfully. Amen.
Anonymous said…
Attitudes in concerns to death have certainly changed over time. In the Victorian era it was a common practice - for those of less affluence - to take post mortem photographs of their deceased children and relatives. You only have to google it to see how truly creepy these photos are.

It's interesting to learn how different cultures view death. Also how different individuals deal with the inevitable. Me? I don't care what happens to me after I die, throw me to the seagulls for all I care!!
footiam said…
It is not only that attitudes change through the various era . Attitudes change within us and if they change towards something good or something better, then we should welcome that change. If we don't care about our body when we are dead, do care for it now that we are alive.