Fear it not

What has the possibilities of a nail-biting finish, has no rules to go by, has to happen, anywhere, any time, in an infinity of manners…no, it isn’t a 20-20 cricket match. No sides are pitched against each other. There are but two entities and it is always just one overcoming the other, or coming over it.

And may I, ever so cautiously utter the D word for fear of invoking the wrath of the gods themselves?

Death may be defied, fought, challenged, stalled, vanquished… but it is the one thing we are all sure of having a fling with one day or the other, in one way or in one of the infinite ways possible. In the light of this truism, all mankind’s efforts are aimed to counter death’s deadly influence, including those catalysts of death created by science itself. Scientists research more and more-coffee good for heart, no, in fact it may trigger blood clots which could travel to the brain…cellphone causes brain tumor, no it doesn’t…I cannot go into all the ‘science news’ that I read every day in the papers but they all ultimately aim to find that one formula-keep away the big D. Fight diseases, discover medicines, herbs, live up to a 125 years and divulge the secret of your longevity. Or conversely, meditate, visit death defying temples and godmen, get an astrologer’s expert opinion on how your end will NOT come about. Insure, secure, hoard….
If variety is the spice of life, what is this?
Van overturns, two crushed to death, driver escapes. Expert mountaineer dies on summit. Two year old dies after falling in well. 9 people returning from a condolence meet die as their car has a head-on collision with a larger vehicle. Poisonous tomato kills teenager, pilgrims die in stampede, school girl commits suicide when accused of theft by teacher, lovers hang in unison, woman rescued, man dies. Father honour-kills daughter, grandson kills old man for money…death by fire, water, wind, earthquakes; genocide. Pesticides are feared to bring about cancers; farmers consume pesticides to end life. Suicide is a crime, attempted suicide fetches punishment. Live in misery, but you have no right to want to end it.
10th day, 13th day... Then re-accept Life’s goodies, with a celebration, but not before ‘deeply mourning the loss’ of the departed one. Wish the soul to lie or fly in peace, but don’t let it hover around you still with worldly desires.
Worldly, other worldly…
The Hindu karma and rebirth theory appeals to me: at the very basic layman level, it helps to think that my recently departed granny who was so dear to me, need not be missed. She is already reborn, her plentiful soul enriching some other creature’s life. on the other hand, on a practical note, I just have to imagine her inhabiting the body of the adorable stray puppy I saw the other day, or maybe some newborn in Zimbabwe…why not the baby lizard so bravely venturing out on his own on the balcony wall? Imagining how many of my own dear ones are back on the earth helps enhance my love for all creatures. Donkey and monkey are no more insulting words; they are interchangeable life forms. From a long simian tail to the small bushy bunny one, from an alligator’s fancy long nose to a pug’s non-existing one, we have an assortment of fancy costumes to own in successive lives. If a virtuous life begets a higher position in the karma hierarchy, wouldn’t I gladly accept a simpler life form than that of a human, say, a bumble bee who buzzes about life nature- ordained rather than messing things up in the name of comfort and science?
Karma may ensure rewards and retributions in different births-in fact, given the accelerated form of life today, karmic punishments do not wait long to come-but, karma does not influence the way a life ends. The torturing mother in law may be born a crocodile in her next birth but it is a baffling fact that she died peacefully in her sleep. The good man next door, who had not harmed a soul in his life time, went through pangs of suffering when his end came. The chain smoker coughs and splutters but has recently celebrated his 78th birthday. And poor John, who counted every calorie that went into him and burned it out with determination, had a fall and passed away, simply, like that. Science has not yet perfected a telescope powerful enough to peer into the after-life-nor the end of this life itself…
Is this then Death? Like a simplified fraction shorn of its extra zeroes; the extra zeroes being family, situations, debts, attachments. A departed soul is part of an equation: father of a child, spouse, only bread-earner son of an old couple, an honest neighbourhood grocer, a hated political leader…remove all the frills, and face It. Instead of dreading it for oneself and for the loved ones, why not be in preparedness for it? Along with a will for posterity, why not make a will for oneself, of putting things in order, clearing emotional dues, vacuum-cleaning the mind and soul, not leaving behind stifled, dependent, unhappy souls...and splurging the hard saved money once in a while.
I figure Death to be a Test, much like what we faced as school kids. Sometimes it is a surprise test, when a life ends-just like that, like a movie. No follow-ups, no repeats! At other times, it is an elaborate Final Exam- a deposed leader awaiting the hangman’s noose next Monday, a cancer patient with three months to live…how terrible! Or is it?? Doesn’t it give one a chance to better prepare for the exam, recapitulate the known, critically examine it and weed out what Life has proved wrong? This is a Test which no one can write with borrowed wisdom and memory!
There are of course moments in life when we ‘die a hundred deaths’. Moments of acute suspense, palpitation, paranoia…and whoa! return to the good old comfort of living. It is a final exam postponed, a glimpse of it nevertheless. And the survivors vouch for a heightened respect and joy of life after their brush with death.
Easier written than lived, I hear you accuse me. Would I face D upfront with a brave face were it to encounter me tomorrow? What about the wardrobe full of clothes, the diamond earrings, or even the chocolate lovingly hidden in the fridge? What have you stored them for if you are so much into morbid thoughts?
Somehow morbidity seems a world away from my concept of death. And the more I think of it, the more at ease I get with it. Visiting a graveyard in a happy mood is part of some cultures. Why not knock at death’s door when one is in a cool, collected mood?

But….what will happen after ME? Well…life will simply go on. The equations I set up will be erased or altered to the convenience and understanding of others…simple. The chocolates would be the first to go. The earrings bought from years of longing and saving would be termed out of fashion, sold for a pittance and forgotten...so would my hard-learnt wisdom and life-style.

Will this thinking help me face death fearlessly? I dont know but it can surely help me recognize the 'true' worth of diamonds, silks chocolates and of my own brand of philosophy!

as Sogyal Rinpoche mentions in 'Glimpse of the Day':
"Looking into death needn’t be frightening or morbid. Why not reflect on death when you are really inspired, relaxed, and comfortable, lying in bed, or on vacation, or listening to music that particularly delights you? Why not reflect on it when you are happy, in good health, confident, and full of well-being? Don’t you notice that there are particular moments when you are naturally inspired to introspection? Work with them gently, for these are the moments when you can go through a powerful experience, and your whole worldview can change quickly. These are the moments when former beliefs crumble on their own, and you can find yourself being transformed."

Says J. krishnamurti:"Death must be something extraordinary as life is.Life is a total thing.Sorrows, pain, anguish, joy, absurd ideas, possession, envy, love, the aching misery of loneliness...all that is life. And to understand death, we must understand the whole life, not just take one fragment of it and live with that fragment, as most of us do. In the very understanding of life there is understanding of death, because the two are not separate."

Ahem! Borrowed wisdom!