Wednesday, August 08, 2007

The Year of Death

The year was 2002.

The one year of my life when I lost four people I really respected. Four people I really liked.

1 Friend
1 Grandmother
2 Uncles

Someone once told me that I am a very cold person. I think in 2002 I hit absolute zero.
In theoretical physics at absolute zero temperature a system neither emits nor absorbs energy.
My emotional temperature was just that. I was neither absorbing nor emitting emotions within me.

That was, I feel the completion of my education in Death.
But , then again, when your doing a degree in Death, you only graduate when you die. You always keep learning. See it in new forms around you.

Why did I write this post? Well because today I was struck with a thought: why do we worry so much when we are all going to die one day? What is the source of continuous human progress when human themselves are not permanent.

I remember having this discussion with a friend few months ago. I think it is because we spend so little time alive, we want to leave our mark. Then some people are too intoxicated with life that they don't see death.

Plus there are the social rules that one has to follow which makes us live. From the moment we are born, we don't comprehend the shortness of life. Normally by the time we reach that level of maturity our childhood is over (if you are lucky) and we are caught up in the day to day struggles of adult life. That is what keeps us surging ahead. I wonder do we ever live for ourselves? Especially when we reach adulthood? Or is it always about other people?

I think most of us live because we were born.

Its like we are serving out a prison sentence. The same way prisoners don't have a choice about their daily routine; they get up, shower, eat and sleep at fixed times. Similarly life seems to have a routine. Grow up, prepare for life, get a job, get married, produce kids, take care of kids, prepare them for life, get them settled, grow old and die.


A cynical view but then it is just that, a point of view. One of many that I have on this subject.

:)

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