THE GREAT PRIDE IN DEATH.

I have come to realize that death is the most humbling experience there is. I used to think it was poverty or sickness, having seen the devastation of the former and the debilitation of the latter. I got to realize that I was wrong, among the three, death is the most humbling. No one defers or bargains the call of death.

At least in sickness, seeking treatment is a way of challenging the condition and proving that there is something you can do about it. In poverty, as long as there is life, the fortune of a dirt-poor fellow can turn around, sometimes even in the split of a second.

Death reminds us that we are (mere) mortals and the the time allotted to us here has exhausted. A time we spent trying to keep alive, striving to make a mark, maiming and killing if need be just to get ahead.

Nothing compares to death. I can simply describe it as an absence, an ultimate absence. A missing person's case remotely resembles death in that people around did not foresee that the person would go missing, the person most likely disappeared without saying goodbye, their loved ones recall vividly their last moments. The person's clothing, gadgets and other properties serve as constant reminder of the person's very recent presence. In all these, the person would be no where to be found.

Death is even more ironic, as the person is "somewhere to be found". They have eyes but they no longer see, they have ears but they no longer hear, they have mouth but they no longer speak. Humans fear death as though it is more turmoil than life. No one knows, life after death could be still(a big relief from the hassles of everyday life), or it could even hold (more) bliss.

One mystery about death is that no one knows when his/her time will be. Sometimes, it is as though some people are in the front line of dying - the aged, the terminally ill, etc, but regardless death come as it chooses. It takes time for life to be formed, but it just takes the ceasation of breath for the human body to move from life to being still and then begins to decay.

Sometimes I fault extravagant funerals, but after some thought, I have come to realize that these celebrations are our own way of crowning life. It is our way of saying goodbye, it was nice to meet you and we are thankful that you were in our lives.

All are of the dust, and all turn to dust again, the Bible says. After everyone's reign, a little hole will be dug in the ground and there we will be are fitted in and covered up. For no eye can stand and watch flesh wear-out and turn to bone, nor can any nose stand the stench of the ooze of decay. Decay of the body that once had life. A body once caressed in pleasure. A body that once thrived in growth. This is the fate of us all.

We did nothing to earn life, so we cannot question death. What then is our existence for?

We come into this world with nothing, literally. At best, some hold potentials, potentials that may or may not be realized. Once a child is born, he or she becomes part of a family. Sharing in all they have - their joy or sorrow, wealth or wretch. Bonds are formed . A bond that makes blood to be thicker than water. A bond some choose to break themselves. A bond some people hold unto so tight that they forget to realize that everybody is an individual.

As humbling as death may be, there is still a great pride that it can bring. This pride lay in what posterity holds for us after we are gone. It is then we see a true definition of ones lives worth. After one can no longer lure people with their charm or charsima, nor earn loyalty with  coin. Or bring people to reason by their logic. We are defined by what is left of us after we can no longer speak for ourselves.

This is one of the few prides in death, if not the only. Unfortunately, only a few people are defined well. In all, death proves how much of an honor life is and reminds us that it is worth living well.