Thursday, October 25, 2012

What It Means to Me



Cemetery: a word that brings to mind a myriad of emotions, ranging from fear to a sense of loss. For some people, visiting a cemetery could be exciting- it’s a place to explore the mysteries of life and death. For others, it could be a place of inexplicable peace. And then of course, there are people who like to visit the cemetery at twilight, for the sake of finding a ghostly story to narrate.

It’s almost impossible for a person to not think of ghosts while thinking of cemeteries. And while the idea of seeing a ghost reminded me of funny incidents from books (this is what happens when you read Harry Potter with too much of devotion; ghosts hardly seem to be a problem when you have Dementors running around the place), I decided that this is not how I am going to think of cemeteries- at least not until I go to one and have a creepy experience myself. I just do not like the idea of having negative thoughts about a place that holds such meaning for those whose loved ones have been put to rest.

Having never been to a cemetery, I do not feel like I have the experience to talk about it as much as others can.  What came to my mind first and foremost, when I thought about writing this post, were the various books and movies which have characters that have some sort of connection to the place.




The first one that I thought of was Elena Gilbert from The Vampire Diaries. A girl who lost her parents in an accident, she often sat by their graves and wrote in her journal, trying to hold on to something her mother always encouraged her to do- write her heart out, even when she had forgotten how to live. It was at the cemetery that she caught the first glimpse of the person who was to help her find reasons to smile.

The next character I remembered was Pierce Oliviera from Meg Cabot’s Abandon Trilogy. A teenager now, she is still somehow drawn to the cemetery where she went as a child, to her grandfather’s funeral. A place where she met a man whose future was meant to be linked with hers, in ways she could never have imagined.

I also thought of Peter Parker, who lost the only father figure he had as well as his best friend, and how the funeral in each film had a much greater impact on me than the rest of the movie did.

I thought of Harry and Hermione, as they set off to Godric’s Hollow, and how the graveyard next to the Church held so many mysteries for them. I remembered the words inscribed on James and Lilly Potter’s tombstone-

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

There could be a million different ways in which we connect to the departed, and a hundred different reasons why we would go to the cemetery. But while the place might definitely be spooky, it’s also true that, 

“Darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always bring good.”

Posted as a part of Theme Thursday and the prompt this week is Cemetery.

27 comments:

  1. I like your random thoughts here...I'm sure you will have a myriad of thoughts to write about when and if you do visit a cemetery one day.

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  2. A very intelligent post ... well written !!!

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    1. thank you, green speck! i am so glad you liked the post! :)

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  3. Great post!! I find cemeteries peaceful. Seeing a ghost is not a negative thing for me--it is some sort of confirmation of what I've suspected all along--there is something after this journey in our existence. I also like to visit cemeteries so I can photograph tombstones for genealogy--and pay my respects to my ancestors. When a loved one dies--I'm usually sad--but there is a calming feeling I get when I walk away--knowing they are eternally at peace.

    So much to think about with cemeteries--mostly a positive thing in my experiences!! IF you visit one-- I hope you find that positiveness too!!

    Cheers, Jenn

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    1. thank you, jenn! it's so good to know that someone associates cemeteries with peace, and ghosts with something positive! i hope i do the same, when the time comes. :)

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  4. Good post Arpita :)
    First time around here and liked what I read in the blog.
    Keep up the good work and continue posting :)

    Regards

    Jay
    http://road-to-sanitarium.blogspot.in/

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    1. thanks for you visit, jay! it's such a delight to know that you liked the first thing you read here. thanks a million; it means a lot to me! :)

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  5. I cannot believe you've never been to a cemetery! Are there none where you are?

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    1. hahaha..well there are! but no one i know has been buried in one and i somehow never found a reason to go there! but i might visit the cemetery some day in the future, especially after writing this post. :)

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  6. I love this !
    Why did I never knew of this blog before btw ??

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    1. awww, nimue, i am happiest to see ur comment here!!! :D i thought you knew! and thank you!! *HUGS*

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    2. If i knew , would I not be reading it before today ! :P
      Nice blog :)

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    3. hehe..that's a compliment i am proud to have got, cuz it's coming from you!! :D

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  7. Hmm without sounding weird I find cemeteries peaceful.. I have not had the experience of ghosts but I do believe they exist..

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  8. Hmm without sounding weird I find cemeteries peaceful.. I have not had the experience of ghosts but I do believe they exist..

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    1. it could totally be true! and if you ask me, it makes much more sense to consider cemeteries peaceful. :)

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  9. Hi Arpita,

    I really enjoyed your Cemetery post. I like how you made them seem such peaceful places. They are so much a part of our lives whether we realize it or not. We all have an ancestor in a cemetery somewhere whether we have been to visit them or not. I am not sure that I would be willing to go all the time to a cemetery and just sit and visit the person long past. I believe that we carry them in our hearts and minds and that we visit them there. But then again I am so allergic to grass that I would leave the cemetery itching like crazy. Oh and I hope you do get to visit one someday, not because of a death but because you just want to go and visit an ancestor that you have never visited.

    And fear not the ghosts that might lurk around but fear the evil person in the flesh who does lurk around. They will do more harm than any ghost could.

    Thanks for playing with us for this weeks Cemetery Theme Thursday. I hope it was fun for you and that you have a frightfully fun weekend.

    God bless.

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    1. hi, mrsupole! it's such a pleasant surprise to see your comment here! thank you! i really appreciate it. :) i completely agree with everything you said. and yes, it was fun for me to play this week and i will definitely be back for more! :D

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  10. I can understand your points and I would love to see the idea further elaborated. Though a writer never aims to write in terms of length of an article, you should flesh it up by another thousand words.

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    1. thanks for leaving a comment here, sabyasachi! :) i would love to write more about this. maybe i should visit a cemetery sometime soon! :D

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  11. A pop-lit view of cemeteries. What a novel idea!

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  12. Loved the way you associated cemetry with things so beautiful and touching!

    :)

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