Sometimes, I really hate some of the impermanence of the world.
Since yesterday, they have been sad about the crash of China Eastern Airlines.
What broke my guard the most was the mobile phone fragments and wallet ID photos found at the scene, as well as the note that said "Years and years of peace".
There were 132 people on the plane, including newlywed husbands who had just taken wedding photos, students who were about to go abroad to study, and business executives who rushed back to the company...
Today, the news about China Eastern Airlines is also continuing to ferment.
As more and more information about the crew was uncovered, everyone, including the sheep themselves, began to change from yesterday's shock and worry to suppressed sadness.
Those ordinary people like us obviously just took an ordinary flight and wanted to spend an ordinary day, but their lives came to an abrupt end in an instant.
Their lives are so similar to ours that we cannot afford not to empathize with this catastrophe.
Even some people have begun to have a traumatic response
Image source Douban group
Since ancient times, disaster + life and death have been the last topics that human beings want to touch.
Sheep also hate these two words.
However, when the facts have already happened, indulging in grief will only make it more depressed.
In dealing with suffering and trauma, we may look at it from a different perspective, and today I want to share how some people on the other side of the world face death.
Remember the two pictures above?
This is the coffin of a black man who exploded on the Internet a few years ago.
Because of the relaxed atmosphere of the funeral, coupled with the magical music and dance, everyone did not get sad at all, but played with the terrier and flew up.
Of course, sheep also know that natural death and air disasters are not a concept at all.
But for us ordinary people, cheering up, reflecting on the facts, and facing the future may be a better tribute to the dead.
The Ghanaian "funeral culture" hidden behind the "black coffin" contains a similar spiritual core.
Sheep have always felt that Ghanaians have a very advanced attitude towards life.
This is a country that has been wildly colonized, and the gap between rich and poor is huge.
Ghana has a lot of poor people, with a per capita daily income of less than 50 yuan, because of some historical and political factors, there is a lot of illiteracy, high neonatal mortality, and life expectancy ranks behind the world's 150.
It is reasonable to say that living in such a country, if not how desperate, at least not very comfortable, right?
But Ghanaians are not.
A lot of people who have lived there say that in Ghana, it's almost impossible to meet someone without a smile on their face.
The hardships that we see as difficult to deal with cannot affect Ghanaian optimism about life.
Colonization came with plunder, but also with it religious beliefs.
Many people in Ghana believe in Christ, so whether life is good or bad, they are thankful every day.
They are good at finding happiness in hard days.
And this open-minded outlook on life is also reflected in their culture of death.
Death is the most important thing in Ghanaian life, even greater than birth and wedding.
Ghanaians care a lot about funerals.
Because death represents rebirth in another sense.
To tell the truth, the sheep were really a little physically unwell when they first saw the Ghana funeral scene
Funerals in China are mostly solemn and serious.
But in Ghana, they can clap their hands
Can dance
You can talk and laugh
But who says funerals can't be happy?
Since people come into the world crying, there is nothing wrong with laughing and leaving.
After the death of the mother of a girl in Ghana, she hired a dance team for her mother.
She didn't want to be immersed in infinite sadness, and she wanted her mother to leave in an atmosphere of joy.
Yang remembered that Cai Kangyong had a very beautiful dancer friend.
He said that before she died, she told her friends that you should treat life as a party, and that you should continue to play in the party, but I would say goodbye first.
She said she was a good guest, and she didn't want everyone in the audience to put down their glasses, turn off the music, put on their coats and stand up because of me, a scene that we didn't want to play with—
"I want you to give me a hug, and when I leave, you keep playing, and if I hear you continue to have fun, I'm behind the door, and I hear you playing, I'll be happy."
Human pain in death is common, but memories do not disappear with life.
Tears and laughter are just forms, and remembering him hard may be the best way to send him off.
When Ghanaians die, they inform all their relatives and friends and even publish information in the media.
They do not shy away from death, but want everyone to come together, remember, commemorate.
Do you know the story of physicist Feynman?
After the death of his beloved wife, he did not cry, but just sat quietly for a while and then went to work.
A few months later, he was walking down the autumn street and stumbled upon a dress in the window.
At that time, his emotions finally broke down, because he felt that his wife must be beautiful in wearing it.
You see, to really miss someone is not to cry at a funeral, because thoughts are hidden in the bits and pieces of life.
Saying goodbye is actually a very difficult thing, people will always leave, but love will never die.
At the funerals of Ghanaians, there are flowers, there are manuals, there are dances, and there are hosts.
Tears are not welcome —
"Since we can't see each other again, I hope you will leave in laughter for the last time today."
Ghanaians also have their own unique coffin culture.
Their coffins look fancy and even absurd at first glance.
But their coffin design and carving is actually a traditional handicraft, and many tribal areas regard these craftsmen as highly respected.
The coffin is the small house of the deceased and must have a unique meaning.
The ghanaian coffin style is usually related to the deceased's profession, or his hobbies, his dreams, or even some personal belongings.
- Give you a mobile phone and hope that the days ahead will not be boring.
This man died of diabetes, and relatives customized a Coke-style "home" for him.
-The life that has been limited by the disease has ended, so please enjoy drinking in the future.
If the deceased was a photographer before his death...
- Memories have become photographs, but more memories can be made at another latitude.
The coffins that Ghanaians give to the little children are also warm.
- With the dream of this life, boldly go on a long voyage.
- Sleep, there will be candy and cute little monsters in your dreams.
People who are not spicy before they die will receive a coffin in the shape of a pepper after death.
-Give your favorite food to your dearest ones.
My grandmother's dream was to travel abroad, and my grandson built a plane for my grandmother.
- Now you can go anywhere you want, and have a good trip.
Young girl who likes bags, the coffin looks "expensive"
- Pack your bags and travel to another world.
Xiao Wenqing, who liked to read, died, so he personally "wrote" a book for him.
-With this book very long and long to accompany, you will certainly not be alone.
Otaku who loves to play games will harvest "Pokemon".
-Send you an otaku
The youth who died unexpectedly received the cannon.
- We have fulfilled your military dream for you.
When his husband died, his wife customized a cigarette case for him.
-No one will advise you to quit smoking anymore.
And that's Ghana's coffin culture.
They don't care if it's beautiful and delicate, they only care about the meaning of it.
In Ghana, people are poor but willing to customize unique coffins for their loved ones and spend tens of thousands of dollars to prepare a funeral.
They mourn leaving while celebrating the new birth.
I don't know how everyone feels, anyway, sheep can empathize fiercely
No matter what kind of way people in the world treat life and death, people are always full of reverence for life.
Solemn or hilarious.
The meaning of the send-off seems to be a farewell, but it is actually a memorial.
Ghanaians never think of death as an end, and they make a big fuss about funerals because they see funerals as a farewell party and don't want to make parting painful.
"Even though your life is over, we still gather together to remember your story, the last time we met, without tears and sadness, may you leave in laughter." 」
If death is inevitable, let love become eternal.
The attitude towards the separation of life and death has never been fixed.
Some things may be doomed to be irreversible, but they have lived, loved, and existed.
We remember, that's enough.