Random thoughts from a Mortuary Student

On my journey to becoming a funeral director/embalmer I've thought about a few things. Isn't it ironic that in death we are all equal?  Death doesn't pick favorites, could care less about what social class we are in, how old we are, who we worship, who we love, who we voted for, and the list goes on.  I think it's interesting that the only thing that separates us in our perceived notions of what is good and what is bad is before we are born and when we die. It's the in between we call and accept as a life that we can see, that we can grasp, it's our reality because why?...Because we can see and feel it.  From the moment we are born we are in some way or another classified. Is it human nature or a flaw in our nature?  Some are born to riches and some are born to poverty and then there's those in between folks, like myself.  We become dependent on our surroundings and cling to those who nurture us along the way. Most often, adopting a lot of the same ideals and philosophies as those we are in closest contact with.  Everything we sense with our senses becomes intertwined with what's within us and how we process that becomes our reality and our perception. Why does it become so important for us to out class each other or rather out do each other?  I think the answer is simple. It is instinct.  I like to think of a line from Steel Magnolias when Clarie says, " The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."  How does instinct survive?  Look at the lion and it doesn't take much to figure out that even he in the most natural of places in the world is, "King of the Jungle."  I can't tell you for certain what goes on before life and after death in an intangible aspect.  I think that's an individual journey.  What I wonder is who really does get the last laugh? The "King of the Jungle" will die one day and then what? Well, maybe Mufasa said it best, "  Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life."