I have alwsys noticed that a persin gone are missed and remembered a lot. That is the bitter truth of life. Many a times we do not value the presence of someone, but once that person leaves our life, we started thinking of it and missed more than ever. Even though a person does many things for everyone all throughout the life, but all efforts were in vain. It is hard to keep everyone happy and this what makes the efforts unnoticed. But once that person goes away, all their doings whether bad or good surrounds our memory. On the contrary, there are special people in our lives who never leave us, even after they are gone. And to make them feel special after their death, we put some of the quotes or texts engraved on their geaveyard or grave stone. This is what termed as Epitaphs
(my own edited image)
Cultural centric
People have different ways of remembering a departed soul. Remembering a deceased loved one is a natural way to grieve and process the loss. Most of the people live a life performing various acts only to gain name, fame, glory for themselves and want to be continued even after death. Memories of a loved one can bring feelings of comfort and keep their legacy alive in one's mind and heart. There are some special people in our lives who never leave us, even after they are gone. And Epitaph is a way to commemorate a deceased person's life. Some of the most common epitaphs are :
- RIP
- Forever remembered
- In loving memory
And so on....While some of the famous graveyards of big names have following texts :
- "True to your own spirit” – Jim Morrison
- “Cursed be he that moves my bones” – William Shakespeare
- “Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty I’m free at last.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Looking at these, it indicates that, epitaphs reflect someone's personality traits or accomplishments in life, or tell the story of the circumstances that brought them to their death. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves before their death, while others are chosen by those responsible for the burial. Epitaphs are genrally written on a plaque or tombstone. Which is cultural centric. The graveyard or tombstone are not part of every culture. In our culture this system does not exists.
My words: Inspired by Alexander the great.
I was not aware of the Epitaphs untill, the challenges comes in my way to write about it. There is no way texts or message can be put upon my tombstone as, we do not have the tradition or culture. However, I do like to send out a message to everyone. I am quite inspired by Alexander the great wish, especially the last wish which says :
His hands should be let loose, hanging outside the coffin for all to see!
He wanted people to know that human beings came empty handed in this world and they will leave the place empty handed. It is a complete waste of one's life and time to run after wealth and power.
This fits quite true in present scenarios and lifestyle. I have seen every human beings running after money and wealth. Even though their needs are met, still they were not satisfied. They keep running after money leaving no time for family and friends. People should know that at the end of the day, it is their family who will stands beside the dead body and not the money.
It make more sense, to value what matters most than a glamourous lifestyle that blindfolded everyone.
This is my Day 6 entry for Inleo Writing prompt for the m/o April.