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"Who are you?", whispered Coraline.
"Names, names, names," said another voice, all faraway and lost. "The names are the first things to go, after the breath has gone, and the beating of the heart. We keep our memories longer than our names. I still keep pictures in my mind,...but i have forgotten the name of my governess, and the tulips as well."
~ loved this excerpt. made me think of death, and the mortality of not just the person, but everything around him as well--everything he owns, everything that made up his identity.
His name will be disregarded...remembered, perhaps, but only for a while. There is no exception--even if you are a famous celebrity, a hero...there WILL come a time that you will no longer be mentioned, or even read about.
Well, unless ofcourse you're Jesus Christ.
But seriously, your deepest mark in this world would be the memories of you that the people who love you will carry. They may remember you for your remarkable talent, the pretty color of your hair, the perfume you use, your favorite type of clothes...yes, these are images. And images, like what the kid from the excerpt had mentioned, last. But then again, these images of you about your voice, your physical appearance, your possessions, your achievements--are shallow.
I thought about it and I realized that if i really want to make a deep etch in people's hearts, in this world and in the next, I should start leaving them with images that are really worth remembering. Stuff that would really touch their lives--like images of me making them laugh, images of me speaking out my shitty but sensible thoughts to encourage them to be stronger, or images of me overcoming unhealthy habits (like cutting my arm and such) to hopefully serve as an influence (ahem)...
hmm..i wonder, would the image of an angel giving warmth and care to that neglected child crying in the desert perhaps cause a miracle of tears to fall from a specific person's eyes when i die? hee2. just wondering. oh well. |
