Tag: next life

Death: A New Beginning

The year has barely began and here I am talking about endings. In particular, a very permanent ending – at least here, on this planet.

I do not mean to sound morbid but I am talking about death – the cessation of life. When one’s heart stops beating and the brain stops functioning. When all body systems simply stop functioning. Death.

2015 ended with the father of a close friend dying unexpectedly. 2016 opened with a close friend dying peacefully. And the month will close with another friend dying bravely.

It seems death has been all around me recently but it’s not the kind of deaths that will leave you depressed. Yes, death, being so final, is sad. Yes, there’s grief and I join the families and friends of these people whom I know in their grief. Yet, behind the grief, there’s hope that these people are in a better place.

I have never shied away from the topic of death. I believe this blog has so many posts concerning the topic. For me, death is not the end but just the beginning. The beginning of something greater. Something bigger. Something better.

The life we live on earth is only temporary. But no matter how temporary, it is meant to be lived to the fullest. These people who died all lived their lives to the full and I am blessed to have witnessed their lives and somehow been a part of it.

It’s inspiring to see how these people – Sir D, Tita Eva and Scud – have lived their lives to such a full that when they died, people flocked to them remembering everything they have accomplished. People shared stories of how they have been touched one way or another by the acts of these wonderful persons. And everyone, despite the sadness and pain of loss, had peace in their hearts because they knew and are confident that these three are now reaping their rewards in Heaven.

Someone recently shared to me her fears of death – about what lies ahead and what she’ll face when she dies. If there’s something we shouldn’t have to fear – that’s death. Death is not something we should be afraid of. We can be afraid of what will happen to our dependents when we die (hence we should be serious about our financial plans) but we should not be afraid of our deaths. Not if we know where we are going when we die and what lies ahead for us.

Not sure what happens after you die? The Bible is very clear that because we are sinners, when we die, we are destined for only one place – Hell. That’s the bad news. But it doesn’t end there. The good news is, because God loves us so much, He can’t take it that we would spend eternity in Hell. So He sent His Son, Jesus, to redeem us from our sins. Jesus paid the price for our sins. Hell, which is supposed to be our eternal punishment for every wrong thing we did here on earth, is no longer our destination. When we die, we can now go to Heaven and receive eternal life.

I said “we CAN” because there’s still something required of us. We are required to accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. It’s a personal thing only we can do. It’s not something we inherit from our parents, it’s not something our religion can do for us, it’s not a decision someone else can impose on us. It’s a choice we have to make and a personal relationship we have to cultivate with our Maker.

So you see, Death is not the end. It’s the beginning. It’s the time when we will reunite with our Father in Heaven.

As Paul said, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

Death Plans

December 22, 2008

Death does seem to be in the air.

After my grand aunt’s birthday yesterday, and her unexpected death early today, it seems another distant grand aunt is on death’s door. Don’t get me too morbid though. I could just see that they have led long lives and they are suffering due to the complications sometimes accompanying old age that it seems death would be a most fitting and inevitable solution. Then again it must just be me being so brave and totally unafraid of death. In fact to me, death is about the sweetest thing that could ever happen to me in this life. Of course I can say all this with utter confidence for I know where I am going. And I am nonchalant about my own death not so much out of excitement to where I am going in the afterlife but so much because I want to escape so many things in this present life.
That’s the truth. The hard core truth.

So anyways I have been thinking about my own death and how I want it. Of course I do not speculate on the time it will come. Die young or old really doesn’t matter much to me so long as I know I’ll die. I cringe at the thought of immortality in an imperfect world – as wonderful as that may sound to others. There has really got to be more than just this life.

So anyways, I thought that my physical body must by all means be sold or donated to medical institutions. That way even in death I have contributed something. Of course assuming I died in excellent condition. Otherwise maybe parts of me could find itself in organ donation banks. The point here is I really do not give much damn about my physical body. In fact I am quite scared of the though of worms eating it. So I would rather it be put to good use in the name of science or otherwise cremated or if the funds does not allow it then burned.
This may very well served as a last will and testament except that I am writing about how I want my death carried out.

I know dying is expensive so as long as I have zero death plans that would cover my death expenses I want it to be as inexpensive as possible. I do not wish to lie in a casket and be viewed upon by people. I do not want their last memory of me to be some girl lying still in a coffin looking all white and ashen. I want them to remember me alive. Which is why I prefer not dying ill. So I want my wakes if I can call them that to be like a gallery show. Pictures of me, my journals, my mementos etc. displayed in walls and stands for everyone to see. I want the atmosphere to be like that in a gallery. Hushed yet comfortable. Not grieving. I want people to rejoice over the fact that I have moved on to a much better place and maybe get them thinking to following me there soon.

I want my death to be a relieving of memories – good and bad, and as I know it will turn out to be a reunion of sorts then make it a fun reunion. The point is: I do not want anybody to see me dead. Except maybe the anonymous medical students who would tinker away with my body.

Then being the business person that I am I got to thinking maybe I could profit from this idea. You know, maybe I could offer contemporary thinking people – those not bound by so many religious traditions, to actually buy my idea. Of course it will be up to them if they really want their caskets viewed but the main idea I will be selling is the though of having a gallery of sorts about you displayed on your wakes.

Mine really doesn’t have to be an overnight wake. It can have opening times like galleries. And I can even do the catering for the guests. So as to spare the dead person’s family of the grief of thinking about what food to prepare etc. hmm.. is this not a grand idea? I don’t know how sellable it would be though as death is a touchy subject for a lot of people.

But picture death this way. A person dies and his or her body is either embalmed into a coffin to be buried in a cemetery or cremated. Another option is donation to a medical institution. That part is not for me to decided upon. The part where my business comes in is the wake – so called wake that is.

The room is arranged as to a gallery – photos and mementos of the deceased are gathered and arranged ala art gallery style. Comfortable chairs such as sofas and high stools are strung about the room to accommodate guests yet mostly people are encouraged to wander around and look at the displays of the deceased person colorful life. They may see his travel photos, his growing up photos, the music he likes, his interests, his hidden talents and hobbies etc. The whole experience will be like relieving the dead person’s memory. Most people have set of friends who know only an aspect of their whole persona. This will be the chance where officemates get to know the deceased as more than just the stiff boss and see that he was also a piano player. You get the picture. I believe this would spur up more anecdotes, a couple of tears perhaps but happy memories as well.

I think it is a most fitting tribute to the deceased to be seen this way.

I can just picture my funeral parlor. A big building with a grand lobby leading to several rooms. And the entrance to those rooms would have huge portraits of the deceased face. And inside would be the “gallery”. And then it is the deceased choice to either have a coffin there where his dead body could be viewed or none at all (in case he doesn’t want to be remembered as dead as well).

I do not really know if this mars some religious belief but if a person is contemporary enough like me perhaps I think this would be well appreciated. Of course a person has to be alive and well to decide on having wakes such as this. And in order to make such decision one has to be comfortable in accepting his death however unexpected it may arrive.

And of course my contracts would have to be premediated. Most of the time. I have to be sure that this is the dying person’s wish and that it is clear with the family. I will never dream of fighting off a whole clan of grieving relatives over a dead man’s final wish. Full information of the family has to be condition. Meaning they understood the rationale behind such a wake and they know how much it would cost. Also the pictures and mementos must be available right after the death – again however untimely it may come. Afterall for me no death is untimely. All deaths are not accidents however accidental they may look. So everyone has to be prepared to die sooner or later.

Do you think this idea might actually work? Again the talk of death is a morbid topic. I know. But if you are comfortable with it then I think more than looking at it as the termination of a life, then maybe you can reformat your thinking into looking at death as the oppurtunity of a lifetime – pun intended. It is the chance to explore what no one for certain knows. What is out there. What is heaven really like? If you believe in heaven and are sure of going there. What is hell like? If you believe in it and think you are going there. Is reincarnation really possible. Is death just a dead end.

Well whatever you believe. As for me, this whole confidence in discussing my death wishes stems from the fact that I for sure know I am going to heaven and I have such high hopes about it. Where does this faith sprung forth? From knowing with absolute certainty that I am saved and I have a mansion prepared for me in heaven because I have accepted Jesus in my heart. I may not be a model Christian but I am sure of my salvation. The thought gives me comfort. The absoluteness and certainty of it gives me security.

How about you? What do you believe in? And are you ready to discuss your death plans with me?

No one knows the time or place

They say that in life we cannot be certain of anything. Even if we have our whole future or maybe just our day planned out, we still have to account for variable changes – things we cannot really foresee will happen. It can be as mundane as the sudden change in the weather – the sunny day becoming cloudy and oftentimes rainy (a common scene in a tropical country riddled with global warming) or it may be an unexpected job promotion or a pop quiz in class. Life is indeed full of uncertainties.

But one thing in life we can be certain of – and that is death. It may be a morbid topic for some, for some it may be taboo. No one alive really likes speaking about death, much less discussing it. It oftentimes bring many gloomy thoughts and some believe it disrespectful to be speaking of death amongst robustly alive individuals and all the more around ill ones.

The latest events in the lives of my friends – all from different social networks – has led me to consider that death is indeed an inevitable event in a person’s life. And as such one that merits much preparation. If we prepare for things which are uncertain – we study so hard in college but we are really uncertain if we can pass our dream medical or law school or maybe land our dream job – then all the more should we prepare for things which are certain in life – and as such our death.

I have seen friends who encountered sudden deaths in their families and they are suddenly at a lost on how to handle the death of their loved one. And I mean not just emotionally (although this is hard enough) but also financially and logistically (which I believe if one is not prepared is actually harder). Imagine the stress of having to decide on the coffin, on the wake services, on the burial manner – these are decisions hard to make if one is caught unprepared.

But more than the questions of how we would want our departed bodies treated on earth once we die, the more pressing question would probably be how we want our souls treated when we die. Now some may argue that there is no afterlife – that we vanish into thin air once our bodies cease breathing – but I beg to disagree. I believe in an afterlife – something far more glorious than this ruined habitat we call earth. So bear with me.

Now if we assume there is indeed an afterlife, how have we prepared our souls for it? Some would say, Oh I’ve been a really really good person here on earth – giving alms to the poor, not littering on the streets, saying kind words to people. I am good and I believe I deserve heaven. Or maybe some of us would say, Well I tried my best to live a good life here on earth, it’s up to God to decide where I’ll be. And even some of us would say, So what if I go to hell?

Can you see the various levels of uncertainties we have of our afterlife? So we are certain we would die – how we would die, we do not know. But we are uncertain what would happen afterwards.

I say that apart from the certainty of death, we can most be certain of what our afterlife would look like. That for me is one of the surest things we can have here on earth.

The afterlife is only two things: Heaven and Hell. They are real and certain places, very much opposite in character. Where in heaven there is eternal joy and prosperous living in the company of other people, in hell there is eternal torture and suffering – alone. Yes, in hell suffering is not in the company of other people but alone. So who would still want to go to hell?

Of course everyone would want to go to the place of bliss and joy. But how do you go there? It is easy to go to hell – live a sinful life and you are bound for eternal damnation. But heaven is a different thing. No amount of godly living will get you there. Contrary to popular opinion being good doesn’t merit a ticket to heaven. In fact no amount of good works will make the gates of heaven open wide for us.

So where does that place us? If we can’t get into heaven where do we go? There are only two destinations – it’s either one or the other. No gray areas.

The good thing about all this discussion of death and the afterlife is that there is a sure way for us to go to heaven. I am sure we all dream of heaven – I mean who dreams of going to hell? Or if we haven’t think about it, maybe we should start doing so, given all the deaths happening around us – open your eyes and look around and you’ll see dying people everywhere.

So what then is the ticket? *drum roll please*

Jesus and what he did on the cross.

Just that. Plain and simple. Believe in that single event two thousand years ago. Know it’s implication in our life. Accept his sacrifice. Pursue a personal relationship with a Personal Savior.

And you can be certain that your afterlife is well taken care of. All that’s left now is the logistics of your burial. *wink*