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November 15, 2008 10:41:49
Posted By Richard Cloer
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From my experience, mourning the loss of a loved one has been the hardest thing to either accept or overcome. Here, I’m not only referring to someone who has died, but in the everyday experience of saying goodbye to someone for whom a friendship has been established. For instance, one of the most difficult aspects of my time in the military was saying “so long” to people I had served with. There are several fellows with whom I would do just about anything for because the bond we established while serving our nation became so great. For me, our relationship transcended into something akin to brotherliness. It’s hard to explain, but I’m sure there are other service personnel who understand what I mean. The moment I ended my enlistment was the moment the path with my comrades diverged, and now I haven’t a clue as to where most of them are or what they are doing.
You know, the older I become the more I can feel the pain of the elderly who have not only lost their health and well-being, but who have lost family and friends to death. I know the pain the World War II veterans now must feel because while they won the war against Germany and Japan, they are loosing the war against time. It won’t be long until there are no living veterans of that Great War waged during the 1940s, and my fear is that, while they long to be surrounded by family and friends of a bygone era, many of them will die alone. This is the type of suffering I believe to be the greatest of all human suffering because it’s brutal.
The only solace I can find in all these forms of suffering is that the Buddha teaches that nothing we grasp at or cling to is permanent, not even our present suffering. The pain we feel when we’re cut will cease when our wound heals. Moreover, as soon as a newer video game is on the market, the child’s desire to have the PSP will subside. And finally, if we are granted a full and rewarding life, death is the greatest complement to that existence. Knowing these things makes physical pain and the pains associated with attachment more tolerable.
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Categories:
General Interest,
Religion
