Birth Announcements, How Ironic

Life gives unexpected twists and turns.  While everyone is commemorating the day of the dead, birth announcements are all over.  It is as if there is always a tug of war between creation and termination.

With the advent of cards, including electronic ones, well wishes or words of sympathy are conveyed easily.  How ironic that with technology thoughts on birth and death are also similarly communicated.

Beginnings are nothing but a reminder of endings.  Maybe a sad thought but it is undoubtedly true.  When someone comes into our lives, the thought that someday the beautiful relationship will end will cross our minds.   Of course nobody wishes for it to end but it happens.  Sometimes it does not. Still, beginnings are bound to end.

Positive thinking has to encourage us that there is nothing wrong when something ends.  It should keep us going…

November 1 Side Dishes

I am not going to talk about November 1. The stories are so common we can almost memorize them – how the traffic had intensified, how people prepare for the occasion, how to take care of self from criminals and accidents, etc.

It is after all a celebration in a celebration. We celebrate or commemorate the day for the dead but also we celebrate life itself. We are there in each occasion of November 1 to be with the living also. I guess that is what matters most. And, oh, they say, November 1 is for the living and November 2 is for the dead.

Side dish one is about the concept behind the building of a mausoleum for the dead. Inside the car, my two children are very vocal about their sentiments against creating one, thinking about the massive space provided for the already dead members of the family. They think it is an exaggeration to have one for the dead because they are, as a matter of fact, already dead. How can the dead appreciate all the magnificent structures built for them when they are not with us anymore and is in another dimension that we are not even aware of? What about the poor people of this country who have no place of abode and are vagabonds? They are living and yet they are in a harsher position than the dead with the fact that the dead do not know any of it, and these poor living creatures feels every pain of being a homeless person.

Papsie mentioned about the mausoleum as status symbol. If that is so, it is not about the dead. It is about us, the living and our selfish need to always be recognized, or be above others. Then I answered, maybe it is all about tradition and culture in our country. Maybe it is about gathering of relatives, a sort of reunion to some. In this occasion, we pride ourselves with the kind of family we have, with the closeness and unity we have for each other, although superficially at times.

Side dish two is about discipline. Filipinos fall short when it comes to self-discipline. We go and visit the graves, reunite with the relatives, and eat food with them. It is a picturesque scenario but spoiled by the garbage and litter all around the graves. How can we not learn from all the tragedies caused by these rubbishes?