Fifteen, Death

Count Chocula is immortal. He's a vampire after all. The only fear of death he has if from a traumatic situation like a stake to the heart. This is a big difference from most of humanity. Over the past couple days, I've heard of two deaths in this world. One is the death of a classmate's boyfriend. The other was my 1) mom's mom's sister or 2) grandmother's father's cousin's wife.

I can't say I was close to either (the classmate is basically an acquaintance), yet overall, they cast a somber mood upon me at the start of this new year. On top of that, I spent time talking with my dad about mourning in India (my mom's brother passed away a couple months back).

About the young fellow who passed away, I think it's just the shock of someone close to my age dying. I remember when my dad heard about one of his cousins passing away during a trip to India earlier this decade. I had never heard mention of this fellow in my memorable life from anyone in my family yet my dad was hit hard by the news of this cousin's death (I think a heart attack, just a few years older than dad). Since people in this world do not really spend every day dwelling on death, it tends to come as a surprise. And it's even more of a surprise when it's someone with similarities to you. This young guy who died in a car accident was of no significance to me until hearing about him reminded me that hey, this can happen to you too! In the same vein, my conversation this morning about mourning brought light to the idea that while older individuals tend to receive a certain amount of mourning, people taken before the oldest generation tend to get more and more time. While my uncle was no teenager, he was "young" to his mom. She saw her son die. It's always depicted as being something huge when we hear about it or read about it. But it's impossible to really imagine being that parent unless, Bhagwan forbid, you live through it.

This is in stark contrast to the passing of the elderly lady (who I'm related to through my mom's side of the family and whose deceased husband I'm related to through my dad's side of the family). Interesting how age is a big factor in mourning.

I think I'll just eat some cereal on Tuesday.