A Moment of Cognizance

"I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes the act of letting go but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye." 

- Irrfan from the movie, Life of Pie. 

(C) Getty images

As I see people grappling with oneself in the darkest hours in their life, I realised an intangible reality called DEATH. I call it intangible because that moment is surreal yet it is very much happening. It is a part of everyone alive. The soul is leaving the body right at that moment making it lifeless. It's one of the most personal experiences a living creature shall go through. Death is also a part of life.

(C) Justin Lambert

Death Note

This reminds me of a Theatre Act that my friend had narrated few years ago. I improvised it for betterment. It goes like this - 

It's a dark isolated room. The emptiness occupied the atmosphere there. From the edge of the room there is a minute ray of light entering, which is the only source of light. Amidst you hear howls of cry, choking oneself  to be not able to speak. The cry echoes in the room making it impossible for something else to be heard. In the meagre light source one can observe a shadow of a person sitting naked and crying one's heart out. When you begin to observe more closely there is a body lying in front of this person covered with a white cloth. The details of the body is discrete and is yet to be discovered. Forgetting one's surroundings, this person, sitting beside the body is drowned in grief and guilt. He is trembling out of fear. He curled himself like a snail, bowing his head down that touched his folded knees held close to his chest. His limbs looked extremely feeble; the structure of his spine inside a thin fleshed body was clearly visible. The loud cry bulged the forehead veins on his templates, showing us his distress. Oh that grief, it was seeking a relief! The person lifts his head in the moment of realization. His red watery eyes now had a purpose - to find something that is lost. He quickly uncurled himself, stood up and began to search. He crawled, jumped, walked and ran in the entire room. The rustic and rugged surface neither hurt his naked skin nor hindered his search. In the tugged corner of this shady room, he found what he lost - The Note. There was a sigh of relief in his eyes as he found it. He picked it with his dark long trembling fingers, held it in his rough injured palms and opened the note to read - " This death, today, is liberating me from the cycle of rebirth that I've been a part of since ages. Today I shall attain the salvation as I am aware of the ultimate truth about myself - Who am I." As he finishes reading the note and there is a smile on his face because he discovered the very purpose of his death. Holding the note close to his chest in one hand, he pulls off the white cloth from the body to see himself dead. His smile curved even more and he said, "All the best." and he faded away into the emptiness.

We as a world are undergoing the period of Global Health Crisis from the past four to five months. We have witnessed several deaths. This is known to us now. But do we know how many people die every year? The cause of death varies from unintended accidents to heinous crimes to lethal diseases. 

The point is to not grief over the death but instead accept it as a reality of life. For those who believe in rebirth, remember that the departed soul shall rejuvenate somewhere in this world to attain the truth of self, as aforementioned in the Theatre Act. For those who do not believe in the theory of rebirth, accept that his or her part in this life ends here; that person is off from the duty of life. You're shaken and stumbled with the news of death. It is an immense personal feeling of loss. Live through it. Let the pain numb you and pass it off your gut. Eventually accept it and outgrow the grief it renders to you. 

Carpe Diem 

Another biggest lesson that we must understand from the death is, it is inevitable by nature. It can happen to anyone. Therefore, as Mr. Irrfan said in this dialogue, don't let yourself get hurt by not taking a moment to say goodbye; or say/do something that one always wanted to do. Seize that day, seize the moment because you never know when it is too late, not just to experience death but to lose that moment which you deserved. 

"The saddest part of life is - you love them, you miss them but the circumstances do not allow you to be with them." - Live the life to the fullest when you are with someone or doing something. Death necessarily isn't always the cause to lose a person or an opportunity; it can literally be anything. Do not let that happen by being aware. But it doesn't always have to end there. I hope and believe there is always light at the end of the tunnel.  

My deepest condolences to all who lost something or someone in their lives. May you have the strength and patience to surmount this loss and rejuvenate in life with a new lens of positivity and hope.