Over the New Year, my mind was pondering over, of all things, funerals. At the time of writing, it wouldn't appear as strange or as morbid as it may seem to readers; the passing of a momentous shift in tetonic plates in the seabeds of Asia caused an earthquake measuring about 8.9 on the Richter scale.
Yet it turned out that the earthquake per se did not cause much of the damage to the world's most populous continent; tidal waves or tsunami, to borrow the Japanese term, enamated from the epicentre of the quake off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. These much-revered phenomena slowed down in velocity as they approached the coasts of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, and even places as far as the Maldives and Somalia in East Africa, reared their crested heads about ten metres in height, and crashed down on the largely ill-prepared inhabitants who either had been living off the ocean much of their lives or who wanted to experience coastal life as tourists.
The physical damage that ensued is estimated at several million dollars, although authorities are in no way ready to provide a more definite figure. The loss of human life is currently at over 125 thousand. The event has sparked outpouring of grief from places far removed from Asia; in Europe, the Swedish government has declared three days of mourning for the loss of about 50 of its citizens, who were on vacation in the affected areas. Indonesia's death toll stands at 80 thousand and rising. This beloved island is still waiting on the fates of 29 of its children - much has been said of having New Years' Eve celebrations during this time of trouble; perhaps no more needs to be said regarding an event that has become passe in the lives of Singaporeans.
It has been said that funerals are a celebration of life. While this may be so in some cases, in the light of recent tragic events, perhaps an alternative view may sit better with readers. There is much that has been said about death, and one's relationship with it/him/her. Funerals serve no practical purpose to the physical well-being of the deceased, no offense meant to anyone who believes otherwise. Which leads the author to conclude that funerals are in fact for the living, if nothing else, to remember the deceased.
What remains a mystery is the frequency in which one forgets another in times of relative calm. In these times, it is easy assume that life and death are bipolar opposites rather than elements of a process. By the same token, life and existence are too easily mistaken as elements in the biological process, as opposed to being two extreme states of social and civic consciousness. In days to come, more than 125 thousand people will be remembered by those who are left behind. Celebration is purely optional. What happens when the party is over?
