Death and its Impact on the Living

We all have to face death one day. But what is the impact of the death of a close one on us? It can be considerable, and can affect us for a very long time. How do we cope?

These thoughts are triggered by one recent death in the family, and one at IMT G, of an employee who battled with cancer and passed away-today. In this case, it was an advanced stage of cancer, but the employee had an attitude which was positive till the very end. She worked with us in the MDP and other functions, and all her colleagues remember her as ever-smiling, and willing to do any work assigned, uncomplaining. That is a sterling quality, in anyone. Most of us find it easy to complain rather than work.

My father-in-law passed away last month, and he was a little over 80. We shared some great times, and conversations. He was a former shippie (marine engineer) and had lots of stories from his adventurous sorties on the sea. I was sometimes reminded of Sindbad the sailor! He also presented me with his golf kit, which I still use. We shared a lot of jokes when we met, and he visited us fairly regularly, amid all our moves from Bhubaneswar to Hyderabad, to Harihar, Lucknow, Calicut, Bangalore and Nagpur. He was in great health, until his last day, something to be grateful for.

I think we should remember the good times spent together with the departed souls as often as we can, and try to do something which they might have liked us to. And live our life well, too. Because it is a limited time offer, as someone put it. 

7 comments:

smita said...

True

ಭಾಶೇ said...

Though we know someone is not there anymore, how do we let go?

Diamond Head said...

Pranam Guru:

I am awaiting some departures to put your sage advice into practice.

Most sincerely,

Chota Chetan.

Jokes aside - well put!

Rajendra said...

Sowmya, my guess is, by living and doing your stuff (work, hobbies, fun, relationships) well, so you get immersed in living. The rest slowly disappears from sight.

Thanks, Smita and Diamond Head, can't say tathastu, would be bad for the guy who has to depart, right?

Rajendra said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shafique Gajdhar said...

Death, the leveller does us apart.

one 'Sher' fits here:

"Kyunki tarikh yahi kehti hai
kehne wala na rahe baat
magar rehti hai ".
By Haider Zaidi

God Bless!

Rajendra said...

Very apt, Shafique.

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