Life and death

By Joshua Corcuera

 

Today, November 2, is All Souls’ Day — a special day dedicated to remembering the dead. Normally, people flock to cemeteries to visit the tombs and mortal remains of their departed loved ones. This is not the case this year, however, as the Philippines continues its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. With hundreds of thousands of cases recorded — tens of thousands of which are active — authorities decided to lock up cemeteries to prevent mass gatherings. Even without such order, people themselves should avoid going to cemeteries on exactly the second of November.

Perhaps, their departed relatives would understand why no one would visit them as of the moment. If people insist on flocking to cemeteries in the thousands, some of them may end up there forever in the near future because of the highly contagious virus.

For those who really wanted to go to cemeteries, probably to feel the physical ambiance of being with their departed loved ones, they can do so at any point of the year — not only on All Souls’ Day as we have been accustomed to. As of now, it is better for the living to protect themselves; anyway, the dead can be remembered whenever, wherever.

Moving on, as we remember those who have departed from this world, it is essential to remember that they are also human beings just like us. It just so happened that they lived in a different era. This could encourage people, especially younger ones, to go back to the lives of those who were gone instead of being unnecessarily scared of them.

There are also several ways to relieve their memories amid the pandemic as we stay at home, such as lighting candles and looking at their old photos or things if any. With this in mind, it can be deduced that this special day can connect the living and the dead in more ways than one.

Moreover, this day also reminds the living of a valuable realization — that our lives would not go on forever. Certainly, at one point, we’ll cease from existing in this world and merely fade into the minds of the people we’ve touched. We don’t exactly know when nor do we know how we would be gone.

With this apparent fact, we must live to the fullest in pursuit of a life well-lived — one that is meaningful for oneself and inspiring for others, especially those who would be left behind. As long as no one would be affected negatively, people should pursue the things they wanted to do, and more importantly, the things they needed to do. Beyond reasonable doubt, our time here is limited and it must be used wisely.

With this special day held amid a pandemic, it is important — and possible — for people to remember the dead through other means. More importantly, this special day is not only about remembering the dead and learning from their lives, but also about making sure that the living can live meaningfully before their time runs out.