Day 1 The Meaning Of Remembrance [Ryanna]

As I walked along the beaten and cracked tarmac road, the mass of graves clustered tightly together seemed so desolate and solemn. There was barely any people in sight, and the only sound to accompany us was the squawking of crows and the passing of cars in the distance. I could imagine what the place would be like, on one of the many days where it is almost mandatory to pay respects; Qing Ming, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali, All Soul’s Day and many more. The crowds of people moving together simultaneously, all clambering to find their loved ones. The small flower shop by the side of the road filled with customers, and people standing as closely packed as the gravestones themselves. But is this mass visitation of the loved ones really remembrance? Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, when the silence and serenity is broken by the noise and hectic movement that follows people like the plague, we forget our true purpose in visiting the graves. The remembrance of those that we have lost should be carried out constantly, an everyday ritual that would allow us to honor their memory, their life that they have led to the fullest. After all, even as we stand in the sweltering heat to look upon their final resting place, are the dead truly listening? We can never know for sure, but remembering those that have passed is probably the only activity both the dead and the living can find comfort in.