Dialectic of Life and Death {Us but natural if death evokes fear of dsrupton in ourves, but itis realy that confrons eveyone sooner rater, Le withthe las dear one or with threat ‘oour own Ives Downtheages and across the socites there have been efforts to asstinvidvalsand fais fred mean Ing ndeathsoasto secur social stabi Nowe te cannon animoston of cates ina gobalzed world 0 rat alas makes objective coy freer, Indah foc cath, 0 OF itersnnoraveto ears conemuencet "here as been much rest among sashes ean e in analyzing the phenomenon of death Agrowing preference — andits social mpact. Among these promi- mation in the el socal cents are ga Moy Ae Wesremation ye Geto ferent Fle Gece Go gems to.bein Geer «Brin socagst pushed 8 Keeping with its seminal ey ented “The Pornosephy exaggerated of Death, motated ty his own pesoral experiences, stating wit the death ois rationality, avoiding Yaheruto was among the thousand and thereby theneed of more passengers of Lustara ainer that visiting a cemetery or Was sunk ty German submarine on 7 : ‘May2015.Gorer remembered how people ‘burial space, partly aS —gepr studied sence mis presence and ‘an expression of treated fim wih spec attention But ‘about when e tld is eacher one day hate ena could no longer look at flowers or relax, ‘etwacheshotbackineprension and asked hit oping more en pr neers Ha Jin 1961, his elder brother Pierre, a renowned doctor, developed a cancer. He was not tld about ony his we wasi= formed. utshe ad gown accusiored to geting ayy et sland scomplats about his neal This probably increased bis depressions an led to his death much fase tan expected. The body was then leaned and testa by professional pes- sonnel other inte the ly members to se ‘how lovely he ood almost aif the had come ale, The American way of handing the desd di not enthuse the fami of Bish inellacuas ‘The body uss cremated, bu the widowe idnotateetheAralcan ejus funeral senvce and refused tobe present ding the cremation She was educated to Fide ter feelings in public. As a result others were let with no opportunity to convey {heircondolencesorerentocommunicte wth her to avoid upseting her. na short time she could o longer bear heisolation and enered a severe depression. Ths ed Goer tounderke his ua about te ma fem boo about bereaiement inthe West. ' rowing preference for cemation in the West ses o bein Keeping with ts exaggerated raonaity, avoiding thereby the need of sting a cemetery or bu spac, pally a an expression of delet about afte, but ao asa way get on ‘with the route afte wrhout topping to tuminate over the loss. This is a major change from the pubic attuges in the cath nesta moderity, when butalswere taken out of the Church precincts into cemeteries inthe midASth century Some ofthese weretumedntavetable nen ar museum tombs sanexresion ‘ofthe bourgea's classes seetng to assert their new earred weath and stats, but abo thei concer for heath and hygiene, ‘incetradtonal burisinidetheCrurches were endangering the heath of teat who requnted the for uals, The Chisiansin Goahave accompanied ‘he changing meray ofthe Wes hough an their own pace. The period of bereave ‘ment estillarely respected and isnot ‘uncommon in the rural areas to hear a close telaive of the deceased walleg in the early haus ofthe day break ding weeks fllowing the death. is beeved that atthe tar of the day, a bereaing person fees wth sreatrintnstytheloss {and absence ofadear one The Hindu community of Goa atways ‘maintained is custom of cremation ata ‘usu (cremation ste using tewood, and since mre recently in crematoria With fanace. [can recal several dens ‘nce my chidhood ill more ecentyears The eaves was a dassrateBaslo Pit, atthe age of 7.Itconvnced me that was tiring on borrowed time and should not waste any oft This and other cases have ‘erains eth in my emory anchelped my personal growth, correcting some of ny attudes in life and making t more eaningulfor nyse and usetidta thers In ths bes the dalctic of ite and death “here canbe stations tat may require alte serie, m soldat wit fellow ha ‘man beings Such brave cases re recorded inthe Naz concentration camps where some nvduls offered th vesto save Some others from gas chambers. For 3 Hindu guided by Bhagved Gia itis the nha karma actos hat co nathan for rests at all costs) that prepares for ‘moksta, ensuring a death without agony (Teotoio Re Souza'sthe founder tect Kavi Cee of Historical Research, Goa (1979-1994 He present resides in Portugal where he is a Fellow ofthe Por tuguese Academy of History ance 1983, and retred as Professor and Head of te Department of istor, Uniesede Luss fora. Tweets @ramamat)