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Lessons from the dead
By Atty. Alexander "Aleckoy" Lim
October 29, 2006

Next week, Filipinos will be making the pilgrimage to the tombs of their loved ones with the annual ritual observed as All Saints Day and All Souls Day. It is one of the most important holidays for Filipinos who welcome the break to visit the graves of their loved ones.

It does not always follow that the observance is given exclusively to the dead. After the traditional masses to remember them, the living most often get preoccupied with other concerns than the memory of the departed.

To the living, the reunion provided by the free time off from work and school becomes a time given more to talk of present concerns and future plans than talk at length of the dead. And so, except for the names, dates and some anecdotes, there is little that is passed on to the younger generations from their elders.

It is a pity because the dead especially those who accomplished so much in their lifetime have a lot of lessons that we can learn from. While the younger generations may dismiss their accomplishments as no longer applicable, the opposite is true.

While so much has changed around us, the technology, the advances of science, the physical structure, they are not important to man in the final analysis. They are only gadgets that make life more comfortable if you can afford to have them.

There is little that has changed inside of man.

While man has conquered the moon, man has not been able to solve the problems of human greed, selfishness and inhumanity to man. They have been unconsciously passed down through the generations.

The dead have enough lessons to teach us. The most powerful people in their time are as meaningless to us now as the servants and ordinary people in their time. Except for a few, most of them are now forgotten.

Unfortunately, we also forget their mistakes and repeat their errors. The powerful continue to take advantage of their power and abuse those who are powerless. The rich do not share even a portion of their wealth with the poor.

Even those who claim to believe in God do not do much to ease the sufferings of the poor and powerless. In fact, there are many who have not learned from the lessons of the hypocrites whom Jesus denounced in the Bible.

The lessons from the dead should not be wasted. They should be shared with our children and the younger generations so they will learn from them. The good lessons can help the children become better people while the bad lessons will be a warning to them,

Let us not waste our time when we visit our departed loved ones. Let us share the lessons that they want our children to know.

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