the brevity of life

just the other day, a friend of mine requested me to help her conduct the funeral service of her dadwho died of a lingering sickness in the hospital. I, of course, was only too willing to oblige as i myself may not be far from needing such an assistance from my friends. this made me think of the shortness of even the longest lifespan here on earth.

human existence in this world is extremely brief. it's like a flower that blooms for a while, like a shadow which disappear when the sun shines, like a vapor which passes away at the twinkling of an eye, like "a tale that is told" momentarily.

Just how short is the tale of your life? well, first you're born in this world. you grow up as an infant. you spend your carefree childhood days under some parental roof. you develop into a young person full of dreams, aspirations and idealism. you get married and raise a family, perhaps establish yourself in a business or in some profession and prosper somewhat in middle age. then comes retirement, the white hair, the failing eyesight, the short steps, the arthritis. after fighting life's final war with pain comes the little procession of your loved ones and a circle of friends and neighbors to some memorial park, and all that's left to remind those who'll survive you that you had once walked with in this vale of tears is a small mound of earth with a piece of marble slab on it bearing your name.

and lets remember too that life hangs by a very fragile thread. perhaps a virus, maybe a vehicular accident, perchance a heart attack, or possibly even a stray bullet may cause you to be rushed to the emergency room or the ICU of some hospital. . . and then the beginning of the end. the grand finale doesn't vary too much from person to person. you may succumb to a coma first, and this maybe followed by a period. such is the short tale of your life and mine, which shows that we're still in the territory of the enemy.

inspite of the brevity of our human life in this world, aren't you glad you're still alive up to this moment, especially when you think of the high cost of funerals these days? as for me, the reason why I'm still opting to live in spite of the hard times is because i can't afford to die yet. but when the inevitable comes, whether you like it or not, you'll simply have to say goodbye to everything in this life. hardly are we born when we begin to die. the countdown starts the moment we commence life's journey. . .