BORDERLESS

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BY RHODA GARZON CAMPILLAN
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Faces of death

NO ONE can completely fathom the mystery of death.
For practical reasons, death occurs in order to decongest the crowded earth. Just imagine if all people since time immemorial are all alive. We will experience scarcity of food, shelter, water, and occupations, among others. There will be chaos and chances are people will kill one another to survive.
Different cultures and religions have unique beliefs on death. Some are familiar to us and some are beyond our understanding. I stumbled on an article online regarding cultural and religious groups and their various belief systems on death. It was actually a guide to healthcare workers in understanding patients with terminal diseases and how they view death according to their own culture and religion. The article was produced byLoddonMallee.
Buddhists believe in rebirth. The goal is to escape the cycle of death and rebirth and attain nirvana or a state of perfect peace.
Buddhists also bury their dead in graves. But they believe only the physical body of their loved one is in the grave; the spirit of the deceased has already been reborn. Families also visit the graves of their loved ones.
For Catholics, the end goal when one dies is to see the face God. The Church teaches its faithful the concept of life after death or eternal life. If a dying person repents before he dies, then He will have a chance of entering heaven.
Catholics visit the graves of their loved ones during special occasions such as birthdays, death anniversaries and Christmases, among others. They also celebrate Mass so that the deceased will find peace.
Christians in general believe that when a person dies, he will go to heaven to be with God. Death for them is a time of joy and sadness – joy because their love one will finally have a chance to experience heaven with God and sadness because they will surely miss the presence of their kin.
Christians regard cemeteries as sacred places where family members can stay and offer flowers as a form of commemoration.
Hindus have the most interesting belief about death. For a Hindu, death leads to reincarnation. When a person dies, the spirit moves to another body may it be a person or thing.
Just like the Christians, the Hindus also treat death as a time of celebration and sadness. One year after the death of a family member, the Shradh is held. This can be a one-time event or an annual activity. Food is distributed to the poor in remembrance of the deceased. This event lasts for a month. Their priest will say prayers to the dead during this period. During Shrad, the family of the deceased will not purchase new clothes nor go to parties.
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that when they die, they experience some sort of sleep until they will reach the right time when God will resurrect them from the dead. Those who will be given a chance to enter heaven will have the opportunity to join God; the rest will be raised from the dead and they will bring back rapture on earth.
Muslims have also their own unique beliefs on death. According to the article, there are two kinds of Muslims – the Shi’ite and Sunni. Customs and beliefs differ.
Muslims believe that when a person dies, his soul remains. What is interesting is that women are forbidden to enter the graveyard and mourners are not allowed to display extreme sorrow.
At the end of the day, whatever religion we have and whatever belief we follow, the most important thing is we remember our dead loved ones. We celebrate the life they lived and we pray for them all the time.
All Souls’ Day is not the only time we should visit them; instead we must always remember them in our hearts and in our minds.
“Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day…unseen, unheard but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear.”/PN
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