I wake up in the morning, drive to my office, spend 8 hours sitting infront of the computer, get back home, eat my dinner and next day i wake up and goto work and this goes on….
While I was chatting with Melwyn my friend who is in Kuwait, he was fond of Lawrence Monis who died recently in Saudi. Melwyn was recalling his memories, when he came across the news of this sudden death of Lawrence and spent almost two hours on chat telling me about his stories with deep sadness.
One unforgettable, terrible, day of my life, when I heard of the attack on world trade center on Sept 11 and I knew for sure that I lost my dear friend. His wife, kids and parents never got to see him again after this fateful morning. His parents still hoped for the return of their son, but it’s been almost 3 years now, he never returned. Not every person deserve a good funeral, where my friend’s family never got to see his face again.
This has actually had me thinking a lot about life and death in general and my beliefs in specific. Some times it makes me feel in general, that we are only praising a person when he/she dies, or do we ever care for that person when he/she is alive?
Death, like taxes, is unavoidable. There is no way to escape its grip. It doesn?t matter if you are rich, powerful, or influential; you will still die. The reason we find death so terrifying is the fact we have to face it alone. Even if you are surrounded by hundreds of people when you die, or even if you are alone driving on the streets, you must still pass through death by yourself.
Some people deal with the issue of their mortality by becoming consumed and obsessed with the subject of death. Others, however, simply ignore the subject completely. Since there are plenty of distractions out there, ignoring death can be easy. The only time these people think about death is when they become seriously ill, someone close to them dies, or there is a major calamity. After the World Trade Center attack, i was much shook with fear of going to the city when i was living in NY.
The fear of death is an universal phenomenon. No matter where you go in the world, you will always find large numbers of people who are afraid of dying. The reason for fearing death is obvious: Death is the greatest mystery of all. What will it feel like when you die? What will be waiting for us when we reach the other side of the veil of death? Will the afterlife be as chaotic and painful as this life? Since we have never died before, we don?t know what to expect.
when someone close to us is dying, such as a parent, relative or friend, we shall be powerless to help them because we shall know what death is, and we shall experience sadness and frustration at our inability to be of genuine help. Preparing for death is one of the kindest and wisest things we can do both for ourself and for others.
What is death like for us? Is the dying process always peaceful or are there occasions when we have doubts and fears? As Christians, we have the assurance our sins have been forgiven and that God the Father, will fully accept us because of Jesus Christ. Yet, this does not automatically mean dying will be peaceful. We often have feelings contrary to what we know to be true. There are people who are afraid of flying even though they realize it is one of the safest forms of transportation.
Death is something we all must face, no exercise or diet regimen, no meditation techniques, no amount of money can avoid it. It is the great equalizer! We see it all around us as we try so hard to stop the aging process. We hope that the next pill, the next surgery, or the next genetic discovery will be the key to extending our lives.
Life is a candle in the wind. May their soul rest in peace forever!
Author: Jeevan Pinto- USA