My dad is 80 years old. He often tells me he wants to live long. He says it is very interesting for him to witness all the changes in society, lifestyle, and technology. He wants to keep witnessing them.
Indeed he has gone through a lot. He was born before the World War II. He has lived during and after the war. He has witnessed how the government has changed. He has experienced how the technology was built and has been improved. I agree with him; witnessing all the changes is interesting.
As one of the interesting changes, I read somebody’s article about funerals. He mentioned about a drive-through service of funerals. It has already been launched in some rural areas. I think this is a great idea for the people who is hard to walk. I personally want to see the traditional funeral system will be drastically changed into much more simple ones.
Another example of the interesting changes is about the online service of Buddhism monk in Japan. Nowadays there are many companies who offer the various services of monks. Their prices are open and clear, and reasonable. I am supportive with these types of services. Previously the monks’ services used to be complicated. There are many hidden things that we have to consider.
Two more examples come from my personal experiences.
Back in 1995 I got married to my first husband (who is now my ex-husband). Those days it was common for couples to have a super expensive wedding ceremony. We paid $30,000 (about 3 million yen) just for the ceremony. We invited about 100 people to the party. I changed my outfit three times during the two hours ceremony, with different hair styles and different make-ups, done by a professional. Unfortunately, one year later from the huge wedding ceremony, we ended up getting divorced.
This wedding ceremony is one of my regrets in my life. It was a huge waste of money. I should have insisted to go without the luxurious wedding ceremony so that we could have saved the money for the future life.
I am glad to see the current change. Nowadays people are much smarter than those days, so that they have their wedding ceremony in a reasonable price.
Right after the wedding ceremony, my in-law-at-that-time proudly announced me that they bought a small piece of land for their graveyard. They told me I was more than welcomed to be buried with them in the same graveyard. I was stunned. I was 25 years old, just got married. I was too young to think about my dead body in the future. My in-law-at-that-time insisted how important to prepare their graveyard in advance. Preparing a graveyard in advance was common at that time.
Speaking of my afterlife plan, I have a specific desire. My personal desire is not to be buried in a graveyard. I want my dead body to be cremated and the ashes to be scattered to my favorite land. I don’t want to be buried in a graveyard so that I won’t leave any responsibility or guild feeling to my decedents.
Nowadays I’ve heard more people who agree with my desire. My friends agree with me. My mom says the same thing as I do. I think it a good change.
These are just a few examples out of many changes. I hope my dad will live healthy as long as he wants, so that he can enjoy witnessing many more interesting changes to come. I believe his curiosity is the one that keeps motivating him to live. I think it a great thing for him.
♬ Any feedback? (^^♪
three wisdom 