The changes taking place in the social, economic and cultural walks of our lives cannot be ignored. These changes are being driven by our country’s economic development. They show themselves in our lifestyle, income — which is one of the highest in the world — and welfare measures.
Our country’s traditions have also changed as a result. This change can be clearly seen in our wedding parties and other similar joyous events. New celebratory occasions have become a part of our lives, such as Christmas and successes in school.
Our countrymen and women hold the first birthday parties of their children in the most luxurious hotels. Some people even like to brag about the enormous amounts of money they spend on social occasions. The standard of the celebration is believed to reflect the economic and social status of the family organising it.
This change has even altered the way people in our country mourn the dead and arrange funerals. Sending condolences has become costly these days. Costlier still is the organising of funerals and mourning following someone’s death. Some people lay out week-long banquets for relatives, friends and visitors coming to offer their condolences.
Women attending mourning ceremonies wear their most splendid attire. They carry stylish bags to impress other women attending the funereal event.
This is a far cry from the past, when life was simpler and wearing make-up to attend mourning ceremonies was unheard of. We no longer have respect for death, regardless of whether the dead is a young man or an old one.
At the ceremony, women prove that mourning can only be a short-lived feeling. A few minutes into the funereal mood, they quickly start talking to each other and cracking jokes. Cell phones jiggle from side to side in the hands of the mourning ladies, some of whom never take the phone off their ears.
Men are keen to attend the burial. While doing so, however, they too don’t demonstrate any sympathy for the family of the dead. They laugh, talk and use their portable gadgets as if they were attending a merry social occasion. They have debates about whether the mourning ceremony had more important people in attendance than the previous one. They also debate whether the funeral cost more than the previous one.
For some people, attending a funeral is unthinkable. They only send text messages to offer condolences, in a bizarre show of indifference to the feelings of the family of the dead.
Parents are not free from this indifference. They never bring their children to the mourning ceremonies to train them in social and religious duties, as was done by their grandfathers. The parents always say that the children are still too young to be part of such events.
We have forgotten that we will all die one day. We have forgotten that when we die, we will leave all our luxury and comforts behind.
I am not against change brought by prosperity. But I am against blowing things out of proportion. True, we have the right to enjoy our life to the full, but in doing this we should not forget about the afterworld.
