You go back to where you came from before birth (and I´m not talking about anyone´s genitals =). That´s my interpretation of it. No biggie, and I don´t want to spend my life concentrating on my after life (which in my opinion is the purpose of many religions).
My nearly-ten-year-old son came home from school today with a friend of his (11 years old). Soon the friend´s phone rang and all he said during the conversation was "oh dear" and "oh no". The phone call ended to his words "well, call me if you want company". We were all in our kitchen, so I could not help hearing. I did not dare ask him what it was, it was not my business after all. But he shared it with us: his neighbor, a 16-year-old teenage boy had died today. It was the teen´s sister, one of his closest friends, who had called him.
Last Friday the teen boy had lost control of his motorbike and hit a tree, hard. He had been speeding and his helmet had flown off during the crash. He got hurt badly and rushed to the hospital. He was in critical condition until today.
Usually these stories end well. Thanks to the amazing medical care these days people recover, get well, and continue with their usual lives. But not this time. It was a surprise.
I did not know the boy, but knew well his sister - my son´s classmate. She is one of the most cheerful and lively girl I know. I hope her positivity will carry her through these hard times. Considering there are only six kids my son´s his class, and fifteen in their school altogether, this tragedy is major. We live in a small village in the countryside where almost everybody knows each other, so it is needless to say the whole village is in mourning.
Soon after the phone call my son and his friend got another one: they were invited to go the place where the accident had occurred in the middle of the village. All the teenagers and kids, who had known the boy, had gathered there to support each other. They held hands, hugged, lit candles, and brought flowers. This happened immediately the sad news spread. I was positively surprised by how compassionate and thoughtful children can be in a situation like this.
I was prepared to answer the question of "what happens after you die", once again. But it did not pop up. We have discussed the matter with my son many times before, so maybe he has his thoughts sorted out already.
Consequently in the same Friday night another accident had taken place in our peaceful village: a car crash. A middle-aged man had run off the road with a friend along in his pick-up truck. But for that there was a reason: he was quite heavily drunk. Both men were hospitalized, but their lives are not threatened.
Also the news of
Robin Williams reached us; he has committed suicide. So sad.
Childhood is protected and treasured to the best of our knowledge. We grownups say, after looking back in time, that it only lasts so little. We have plenty of time to live the grownup life, there is no rush.
How about thinking the same about death? That we should protect and treasure life to the best of our knowledge. I bet the dead say, after looking back in time, that it only lasts so little!
