Coping with Loss: Reflections on Life and Unexpected Death

This afternoon, I received some bad news. A teacher from the town's high school, someone I know, along with her husband, passed away in a vehicular accident. We lived in the same barangay. She died because of a road accident.

Seeing the CCTV footage and having the ability to pause and reflect on the moments just before their death, I witnessed humans living their lives, simply going to the city. But suddenly, a slippery road caused a car to skid and hit them. Their death was so unexpected.

I started to question: is there a book where it's written how we live? Death by accident feels like such a cruel way to die. Now, I am left wondering what will happen to their daughter and son. This will have a ripple effect on their family—negative thoughts and feelings will linger and may even poison the children's lives.

Christmas is fast approaching, along with the early morning masses, and I always used to see them as a complete family attending the mass. Now, this year will be sad and traumatic for them.

Why do some people die in such intense pain, even when they are neither cruel nor greedy? It should be politicians! Money and power make life less dangerous for them, and it's unfair. Life shouldn’t be like this, but it works this way—unpredictable, affected by billions of finite factors, and the next one might end our lives. Even when we practice safety, it might not be enough against unpredictable catastrophes. Death is inevitable.