Of Life and Death

Recently, I came across quite a bit of news about coffins and I read with interest and amusement that there are so many different kinds for one to choose from. For those Green Party supporters, there is now the paper coffin made available in the US. You can choose to decorate it with any particular designs you have in mind or simply leave it as an empty canvas for your friends and relatives to pen their thoughts on during the funeral. I thought that was pretty creative and imaginative.

I thought only the ang mohs would be so liberal-minded. Afterall in Asia, death is very much a taboo topic in many societies. Therefore, I was surprised when I found out that a local philantrophic organisation, The Lien Foundation actually organised a coffin design competition and entries poured in from all over the world. The purpose of it all is to encourage people to "think out of the box" on topics and taboos surrounding death.

Indeed. With an ageing population, we should really change our mindsets about death. Afterall, no one can escape this stage of life, especially with the demise of 2 of my former students this year. Which reminds me, not too long ago, I was telling someone about the ideal funeral I would like to have. Instead of decorating the hall with sombre colours, I would like it to be tastefully decorated with sunflowers (my favourite flower), Moet et Chandon champagnes to be popped to celebrate my life. What's there not to celebrate if you have always been one to live your life to the fullest and without regrets right? I have not decided on the type and design of the coffin though. Time to think about it...as we live each passing day, we are one day nearer to the end of our life. So make the most out of our time on Earth people!