Cemetries of London
I don't ever walk in cemeteries, but yesterday I had a sudden urge to do so, so I set off for Brompton Cemetery situated rather close to where I live. It was during the day, with plenty of daylight, so I wasn't scared of ghosts and zombies pursuing me. I don't know how often an average person wanders around in a cemetery, but I think it should be done regularly by everyone. Most of us don't encounter or experience death firsthand or secondhand on a daily basis. We know of death and are aware of it, but it feels so far away, like it doesn't apply to us, especially because we are so young.
When I walked in the cemetery yesterday, I was reminded that death is real, death happens to everyone - to the young woman aged 24 whose life had barely begun; to the soldier aged 20 who died during a battle; to the grandad aged 78 who is lovingly missed by his children and grandchildren. The graves belonged to people from all walks of life and all ages, not just the elderly - there were too many people who died far too young. It kind of triggered a feeling of shame inside me: I am not living life as happily as I possibly can, or as appreciately and grateful as I can.
Some of the graves were from centuries ago, like the 1800s. They were mostly overgrown by weeds and looked like no one had tended or visited them for a loooong time. That made me feel a bit sad for the dead - have they been forgotten? Has the remaining family all died as well? Where were the descendants? On the other hand, there were also graves that had a bunch of colorful fresh flowers by it, which made me feel hopeful and happy.
I enjoyed looking at the different tombs the graves had, and the engravings on the stones. Most of the tombs were crosses, and some were angel statues. A lot of them were engraved with the phrase "In loving memory...", although a few had a more personal engraving, like "Name Surname fell alseep on the ##th of ####. Is greatly missed by family." Reading the engravings also made me feel happy and made me smile.
Cementeries are generally a place of great sorrow, but it's really quite refreshing to walk through all the tombs and be reminded of life. Just be sure to do it during daytime!
When I walked in the cemetery yesterday, I was reminded that death is real, death happens to everyone - to the young woman aged 24 whose life had barely begun; to the soldier aged 20 who died during a battle; to the grandad aged 78 who is lovingly missed by his children and grandchildren. The graves belonged to people from all walks of life and all ages, not just the elderly - there were too many people who died far too young. It kind of triggered a feeling of shame inside me: I am not living life as happily as I possibly can, or as appreciately and grateful as I can.
Some of the graves were from centuries ago, like the 1800s. They were mostly overgrown by weeds and looked like no one had tended or visited them for a loooong time. That made me feel a bit sad for the dead - have they been forgotten? Has the remaining family all died as well? Where were the descendants? On the other hand, there were also graves that had a bunch of colorful fresh flowers by it, which made me feel hopeful and happy.
I enjoyed looking at the different tombs the graves had, and the engravings on the stones. Most of the tombs were crosses, and some were angel statues. A lot of them were engraved with the phrase "In loving memory...", although a few had a more personal engraving, like "Name Surname fell alseep on the ##th of ####. Is greatly missed by family." Reading the engravings also made me feel happy and made me smile.
Cementeries are generally a place of great sorrow, but it's really quite refreshing to walk through all the tombs and be reminded of life. Just be sure to do it during daytime!
Kommentarer
Trackback
