Story：A special eulogy
【明報專訊】A philosopher's wife just died. One of his friends came to the funeral and saw him crouching low on the ground. The philosopher knocked on a pot as if it was a drum and sang to its beat.
''That's outrageous!'' His friend was irritated. ''Your wife accompanied you and took care of your children for a long time. For the sake of formality, why don't you at least shed some tears and feign sadness?''
The philosopher replied, ''Well, why should I pretend to be sad on a joyous occasion? People are born mortal, and thus equal. In the grand scheme of things, change is inevitable, and thus inescapable. Why should we be concerned about things that can't be changed? Change can bring life as well as death. Life is death and death is life! They are the two sides of the same coin. My wife didn't die. She merely morphed into another life form, integrating into the cosmos. She took her long due and deserved rest, and that must be celebrated rather than mourned!''
''What about your own death? Would you need a funeral, or at least a decent place for your eternal rest?'' Looking at the philosopher disapprovingly, his friend challenged him again.
''The cosmos will be my tomb, and the stars the gems!''
His friend asked, ''Wouldn't you be afraid of the eagles?''
The philosopher smiled, ''If you don't bury me, I'll at least be consumed by the eagles. But if you do so, I'll be eaten by ants. What's the difference?''
Adapted from a short story in the Zhuangzi (《莊子》)
By Ian Lam
■ Food for thought
Sometimes people offer comfort to others when their beloved passes away. Is the philosopher's attitude too overwhelming? How should we strike a balance between fear of and indifference to death?
■ Gear up
Answer the following questions after reading the above story.
(1) Choose one of the following definitions that is closest in meaning to ''mortal'' as used in the passage.
A. without end
B. subject to death
C. like God
(2) Which of the following adjectives best describes the response from the philosopher's friend?
A. indifferent
B. disapproving
C. supportive
(3) Find a word in the story which could be replaced by the following : fake
_______________________________
(Answers on next text)
■ Glossary
eulogy (n) 悼辭
outrageous (adj) 難以容忍的
formality (n) 俗套
cosmos (n) 宇宙
[Smarties' Power English 第316期]
