It’s the end of a year, again. It’s really only another day but we can always look at it as a benchmark of a life another year lived, our own or others’. Most people like to reflect on what has come to pass and what lie ahead for them. For this reason, I find the end of a year and the beginning of another somewhat useful.
The end of this year revealed a few deaths for me. An ancient college teacher passed away, she was old and frail so that was not much of a surprise. A husband of another older college teacher also died, of old age and illness. A friend posted about a tragic accident that took away 8 lives of people whom we think had so much to contribute to the world, an uncalled-for loss to society.
We did not get a chance to attend the funeral of the teacher who died as her relatives arranged the ceremony in Bangkok, so her friends and colleagues here in Chiang Mai arranged some kind a wake for her at Wat Suandok(mai) one morning. Professor Sang Changnam gave a soulful talk about her and I got to meet my old teachers and many of the deceased’s friends and colleagues whom I don’t get to see on a regular basis, those whom I have lost touch with. It was nice to see them looking exactly the same and vibrant as ever.
An occasion like this—mourning the dead—is a very constructive occasion. It reminds us that we go on, that we have to be strong because there will be more goodbyes to say. Seeing someone dying should not make us sad or hopeless, it should create an opposite response as it brings people who are left behind a little more closer and it makes us appreciate life a little better. It also makes us more cautious of what we do and tells us to start doing things that are worthwhile. Someone has said “Live life to the fullest, laugh and the world laughs with you, love like there’s no tomorrow.” And these are my new year mottos. For those who know me well, this is hardly new; I’m simply revising and continuing with the same old concepts. I think they are fulfilling sentiments, and they could be yours. Enjoy!
