Chapter 94: Forget Those Not

Forgive and forget seems to be a cliche phrase. And I view it as yet another naive idea, along with the idea of erasing the past.

Yes, it is true that I can forgive, but I find it rather foolish to forget.

It seems the habit is to sweep the past under the rug and then forget it all.

But never forget, the time of time is constant and cannot be broken. The past will always exist.

During the daytime, you cannot see the moon. But you know that it does exist And in the evening, although it may seem invisible to mortal eyes, the sun does exist.

Even though you cannot see it, no matter how much it waxes and wanes, the dark side of the moon will always exist.

The past is the same. You might not be able to see it, or choose to ignore it, but it will always exist. It cannot be changed nor erased. Rather than avoid, it might be more practical to accept it in a way that is beneificial to you.

Speaking of ideals, I visited the funeral of one of my two favourite Aunts from my Mother's side just a few days ago.

Which made me ponder, on what the term 'death' is used on.

The way I see it, we often use death to describe the physical structure of the subject when all its functions that relate to life, such as the ability to respond to stimuli, cease, and the body begins to decompose.

But is that really it?

I suppose the reason why people find it hard to part with the physical body is because it is the ultimate proof and source of the person's life, one with which you can interact with and get a response that comforts you.

However, I feel that a person's 'life' extends beyond his physical structure representing him, especially if 'life' means that the person exists in an observable form that does not involved degradation.

When a person 'dies', he leaves behind extensions of himself or herself, through contributions made that affect the world and its inhabitants, and through the family left behind, as well as the memories which always exist through the flow of time.

Therefore, even though I may not have met her for over ten years, I still remember and cherish the memories with her that I hold. And in that sense, she is very much alive to me.

I know nothing of the soul, spirit, or anything beyond the physical world, but these extensions of a person's life are what I have truly experienced and know.

Perhaps the meaning of life is nothing if death does not exist. We often contrast the two to tell the difference, after all.

Ultimately, since humans first came up with the terms 'life' and 'death', giving birth to names for such concepts, it is up to them to decide how to use such terms.