Empty Casket

"Surely, death is something that happens only to the old, the sick, or the unfortunate. Why would anyone walk around thinking one may fall victim to death at any moment? After all, life is far too demanding to leave anyone wander off from the subjects of our pursuit which we must obtain to stay afloat – money, power, security, youth, etc. But as I stood in front of the dozens of empty caskets, watching the workman pulled out tray after tray of bones after cremation, the answer was too painfully obvious….
Money, power, security, or beauty means nothing. Nothing that we hoard up in life can help us or stay with us when we reach the ultimate destination of life. As a young and ambitious person who has never experienced death before, I was struck by the cruel fact of life when I attended the funeral service of a friend’s father just a few days ago.
My friend’s father was a very accomplished man. Not only was he a recognized scholar, he also held high profile position in the government. He died a wealthy man, and the funeral was attended by numerous celebrities in the academic world, a list of who and who’s in the political world, students, colleagues, and friends. To honor him, his casket was covered with the KMT Party Flag and the National Flag. I wondered how many of us could achieve his level of success in our life. The solemn and the beautiful funeral service, however, did not prepare me for what was to follow….
I accompanied my friend to the crematory. It was a busy place. There I saw photos of the deceased, men and women, young and old, caskets after caskets lining up, bodies waiting to be cremated; families of the deceased holding religious ceremonies – Christian, Buddhism, Taoism; people weeping, wailing for their love ones; and then, the most shocking sight of all – the remains of the cremated bodies.
Right there, in the open, tray after tray carrying ashes and bones after an exact science of 80-minute of cremation; one tray indistinguishable from the other…
So, that was all that remaied, around 20 to 30 pieces of bones to each corpse – spread ruthlessly in the chilly, stainless tray. I couldn’t help but ponder: “What is the most important thing in our life?”
The answer came, surprisingly quick and without pause: “If we cannot take anything with us, why not give ourselves out to build a better world for others and leave a lasting memory to those we touch?”
We are all riding on the train heading towards the same destiny. We could make ourselves a pleasant company and make the most of our lives for those around us. Or we could choose to be in the rat race joining billions of people around the world, working hard on hoarding up possessions, and still harder on guarding these possessions until that doom’s day when we are forced to give up every material goods and self gains at the end of the journey.

Don’t wait until the last minute to make your choice. "