By Banji Ayoola
UNTIL we see him to the grave. Till we lower him in a casket down into the earth. We accompany, torture, oppress and torment him with our own personal thoughts, views and opinions.
Indeed he had been imprisoned in our love, thoughts, views and opinions all the way.
Until he dropped his physical body, he had been a victim, a prisoner of himself, his own volition, thoughts, words and deeds, of his personal views, opinions and belief. Too.
We, his dear earthly relatives had imprisoned him in a bed of our own personal thoughts. He had been caged in a mountain heap of our own personal opinions. And his own, among others’ too. Validated and even strengthened by the path he chose while on earth. Arrogantly. Which added its own, capping these our personal views with dogmas. Roping him, in oppressive ties, binding him with iron threads to these human opinions.
A binding that lasted this his immediate past earth life. From which he could not extricate himself. A binding, an imprisonment from which he could not escape.
And at his burial, we form rings around him, around his casket, around his body, still choking, harassing, bombarding and accompanying him with these human opinions even into his grave.
Further blocking, complicating his exit from physical gross matter with these our opinions, words and actions which hinder him on his new path.
We churn out several words wrongly recorded, wrongly transmitted, to conduct his funeral service, and see him off the earthly.
Thus we heap further fresh wrongs, obstacles, blockades on his path, which is still very long. Further darkening, complicating his path and hindering him. Further tying him to wrongs.
We, his dear earthly relatives, friends, colleagues, sympathisers and well wishers gather generally in our various thoughts, opinions and volitions at his burial to see him off the earthly.
We drench his casket with tears, weeping mainly for our own personal losses.
For while he was with us in flesh and blood, he was lavishing us with his goodness, with material cares and love wrongly given, which pampered us, made us indolent and dependent on him.
We had overburdened him with our own personal problems for which he went extra miles to solve for us. Now this opportunity is no more. That is why we weep. And not for him. Generally.
We, all undertakers, still weigh him down with our personal volitions, thoughts, opinions, words and deeds. Even at this solemn moment.
When healthy and helping warm, radiant, luminous volition, thoughts, words and deeds, from us should ring round the casket bearing the body he wore while on earth.
When our warm, radiant, helping and uplifting prayers should envelope, embrace and encircle him; should clear his path out of this choking and oppressive Darkness.
And lead him radiantly triumphantly out of the gross material physical earthly, into the beyond, and jubilantly upwards towards the Luminous Heights, towards the Light!
