Communication
Life and death understanding
Life is the basic existence of humankind. The mere action of human beings in light of breathing and performing normal societal actions define life. The concept of life is a processional phenomenon that starts at the fertilization of a sperm and an ovum. The embryo undergoes a prenatal phase, peri natal phase and a postnatal phase, which is the longest external affiliation of humankind. As the development heightens, the person creates experiences through life activities, actively and circumstantially designed by the society. The final phase of human life occurs when a person stops breathing and the body functions stop working. At that stage, the person is said to have died. Over the centuries, humankind has created a variety of explanations to define the concept of life and death (Cunningham & Reich, 2010). This forms the theme of life and death. The major cases that have culminated in this context dwell on the ability of any life after death. Many people and faiths believe that there is a life after death.
According to Carl Sagan, humanity has a purpose and a reason for existence (Abe & Heine, 1992). A fact that is supported by many faiths and religions across the world. It then follows that the existence of human souls happened way before we lived. This asserts the idea that upon death, the human soul gets another dimension of life. Barden & William (2007), after a research across diverse backgrounds explains that over ninety percent of the world have a firm belief in life after death. Ahktar, (2011) furthered this finding by correlating religion and the theme of life after death. He says that most of the religions have adopted a form of afterlife in their worship. The place is equivalent to an abode for the human souls upon departure from the earthly bodies. As many as there are people who believe in some Higher Power, existence as the belief of life after death exist. What would be the point of that belief if one were skeptical of religion? From science of Einstein’s time, the empirical analysis of a higher-level energy is cognizant of the futuristic nature of evolution (Bloch, 1996). As is common scientifically, energy is an element that is in continuous evolution. These beliefs become a pinnacle in the discussion of the life and death theme.
Concerning life and death, there are assumptions in people as there are cultures out there. Cultural assumptions form a critical basis to understand the context of association. Cultures are systems of beliefs and customs emanating from habits and practices and define the values of the people and the attitudes therein. Concerning life and death, certain motifs are evident to endear the cultural association between the people and the phenomena they face. Therefore, there are various manifestations of life and death in many cultures. According to Cohen, water emerges as a major form of life right from the ancient times. Everyman (in Cunningham & Reich, 2010) describes many African countries as dependent on water as a form of life. Therefore, water is life in many cultures. In a West African poem, The Call of River Nun, the poet uses the motif of water to create an impression of nostalgia of childhood memories (Anin-Agyei, 2004). There is a critical depiction of how fast life oozes by and the helplessness of humankind to stop it. The water in America is also a major source of livelihood. There is a major similarity between the ancient cultural affiliation of water to life and the contemporary association in the technological spectrum. For instance, many advertisements today recognize the need to feature life as a major component of water. Science on the other hand attributes water to life (Ngara, 1990).
Color is another emblem that manifests the theme of life and death. In Australia, according to Hodge (1994), white colors are major symbols of life and stand out to ensure the continuity of the same. This is true of many American cultures that stress the birth of a child to white representations. Similarly, many cultures also stress the white and attribute it to life. Visit many churches and mosques today and see the major figures of white representation and life. On the other hand, black in Australia manifests death. Cohen (1973) entails that many funerals adhere to the colors of black to enlist a loss in the family. As if on cue, many almost all American cultures also have a conventional standard of depicting death. Ideally, this ancient cultural affiliation has become contemporary in the manner of absorption and adornment to suit their wishes and desires. The color syndrome as an influence in advancing the theme of life and death is not new. In the ancient Samoan culture, many people practiced various life and death festivals that became distinct based on the various colors they used. Works by Dilasser, (1999) illustrate various masterpieces of the Samoan festivals having elements of red as a major factor in life. Dancers would have red paintings manifesting the continuity of life and the totality of having many fusions in the festivals. In certain occasions where the society meant to have critical deaths, red would also play a role of marking the danger therein. The author marks that these variances with slight differences may at times confuse an outsider. To the Samoan, these values became the elements of life and death.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/amy-winehouse-funeral-tragic-star-144147
(Note the black color that manifests the black mood of the occasion and the deathly atmosphere)
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSr-bkH_TM4I4_nOq8_7X3mOXXYHO688qI_LyGFucg7-Symd7fg8A
(In bibilical contexts, the tree was a symbol of life and later on a symbol of death after man sinned at the garden of Eden. Notice the double edge functionality of one symbol in the Christian religion)
http://www.florenceinferno.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/black-death-mask.jpg
(In the contemporary times, such figures are manifestations of death and are common in movies and advertisements)
The contemporary environment is filled with manifestations of various characters. In the contemporary American custom, there are varieties of colors and emblems that tell of life and its eventuality in death. The pictures above are common manifestations of colors showing life and death in atypical American family.
In conclusion, life and death is a theme of obvious manifestation everywhere in the world. Just as Everyman suggests, the cultures and values of a society form the fundamental beliefs of the people. The beliefs can fall under the periphery of religion and often derives a manacle of submission. Humanity exists for a purpose. The major elements of that purpose form the reason why man would find solace in religion. These religious nuances become the reason why we exist. The creativity of humankind is also amazing. In the pursuit of happiness and simplicity of life, they find effective means of communication regardless of their personal differences. In ideal senses, the major parameters of life in the human sense are beautiful and continuous. As such, safeguarding it is paramount. Passing such information from generation to generation is necessary. The appropriate means of communication involves physical manifestations either visual olfactory, auditory or appeals to senses of humanity. Therefore, many symbols of life and death in the contemporary times represent ancient cultural beginnings with few modification based on the dynamism of cultures and interactions with time.
Reference
Abe, M., & Heine, S. (1992). A study of Dōgen: His philosophy and religion. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Akhtar, S. (2011). Matters of life and death: Psychoanalytic reflections. London: Karnac.
Amy Winehouse funeral blog (2013). url http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/amy-winehouse-funeral-tragic-star-144147. Retrieved on 16 July, 203.
Anin-Agyei, P. (2004). Lyrics of Kabutu: Collection of African poems. Bloomington, Ind: AuthorHouse.
Barden, N., & Williams, T. (2007). Words and symbols: Language and communication in therapy. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Bloch, M. (1996). Death and the regeneration of life. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press.
Bousseau, S. J., Toomalatai, B., California., & Los Angeles County (Calif.). (1993). The challenge for educators: Samoan culture within the American education system, a resource guide. Downey City?: Los Angeles County Office of Education.
Cohen, K. (1973). Metamorphosis of a death symbol: The Transi tomb in the late middle ages and the renaissance. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.
Cunningham, L. S. and Reich, John J. Culture and V alues, V ol I (with readings), 7th ED (Boston: Wadsworth, 2010)
Dilasser, M. (1999). The symbols of the church. Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press.
Freeman, D. (1999). The fateful hoaxing of Margaret Mead: A historical analysis of her Samoan research. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press.
Google images: the Florence Inferno. url http://www.florenceinferno.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/black-death-mask.jpg. Retrieved on 16, July, 2013.
Heine, S., & Dōgen, . (1980). Existential and ontological dimensions of time in Heidegger and Dōgen.
Hodge, C. (1994). Commentary on the second Epistle to the Corinthians. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans
Low, S. M., & Lawrence-Zúñiga, D. (2003). The anthropology of space and place: Locating culture. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
Ngara, E. (1990). Ideology & form in African poetry: Implications for communication. London: J. Currey.
