Death of a Loved One. [And Interstellar]

On a late-booked flight crossing several timezones, I was seated near the right window-side of the plane bound for Manila, and in front of me is the in-flight entertainment that shows the film 'Interstellar.'

The film loosely tackled science, astrophysics, time/space travel; the typical sci-fi recipe. But during those moments, my mind is picking up its spiritual and relevance of what makes us 'human.' For the almost 20+ hour 1-way travel home, the words and the principles of the film led by McConaughey filled my head in a very difficult perspective.

Because just beside me on that flight is my broken-hearted girlfriend, who unexpectedly learned her mother's passing,  struggling to sleep her grief and tears away.


Death, in a sinister way, is like life's reminder that our lives needs a routine 'spiritual check-up.' It can never be completely understood, nor will be easily accepted for those left behind. Everyone has lost someone very close to their heart, and it is sadly how things work. Every beginning has its own end.

'Murphy's Law doesn't mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever can happen, will happen.' - Cooper

Life nor death can not be explained nor compared to a film. But at that moment of trying to console a broken heart due to a loss of a mother, the least that I can do is my presence, and my effort to console and calm down a weary spirit. I am not yet strong spiritually, as I choose to take things more logically and realistic to provide answers to my personal Why's and How's. At that particular moment of difficulty, I have seen and gathered mental strength in the film filled with spaceships and blackholes.

Murphy's Law, like death, is usually associated with negativity and unpleasantness. That is fact, and hard to argue. But the film showed it in a unique perspective as the father role of Cooper was trying to convince his daughter Murph that her name means something else.

Death will happen, as to everyone at anytime when it can happen. That reality we have to accept, and we need to re-wire our way of thinking. Imagine if we all lived thinking we would all end by tomorrow when we 'wake-up', the world would be a better place to live in. Every waking second we would be all so grateful and we would spend our days with the joy and gift of fresh air, the glorious sun, our family and friends. Death indeed is the end, but what if it is the beginning of a joyous celebration of one's life?

“So how do you plan on saving the world?”—Cooper 

“We’re not meant to save the world, we’re meant to leave it.”—Brand

This was a scene with a totally different context and application in the film. It was literal, at least from Brand that the world is ending and humans must find another suitable planet to live in. But it is a harsh and realistic message to all: We are meant to leave the world. Whatever that we covet or possess or have now at this moment, no one will ever take away something with them as we reach our end. Not even the Egyptian pharaohs were successful despite their grand rituals.

“We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars, now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.”—Cooper

This is one of my favourites from the film. It sums up our daily lives, on how we were taught and brought up in the world of materialistic goals. This temporal state that we are all in, would be nothing compared to our spiritual affairs, which is symbolised by the stars and the skies. We spend our days fulfilling our physical self, and forget to feed our spirits.

“Love is the one thing that transcends time and space.” - Brand

This has been the strongest and most constant message of the film. Beyond the sci-fi mumbo-jumbo and questions about time and space travel, it is the single-most important element that makes us human: love. No matter what we believe in, wherever our loved ones 'go' after life on earth, they go on to their spiritual journey. We may not see nor feel them, but we shall not fail to send them our love and thoughts, prayers and even conversations. Science may not yet able to fully explain or perhaps our human brain does not have the capacity to fully grasp the power of this feeling. I believe indeed love can transcend time and space.

“Do not go gentle into that good night;  

Old age should burn and rave at close of day. 

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” 

—Dylan Thomas, as quoted by Professor Brand

If we chose to view life not in a linear chronological order as we were told, death is just the beginning. The 'after-life' is the real 'birth.' I would like to believe all of us would meet in another 'planet colony' called heaven, and the process of 'time/space travel' is the process of death. 

Those thoughts and ideas were filling my head during the whole flight. I began to question my understanding of life and death, and most importantly my spirituality.

At that time, my girlfriend woke up from her uncomfortable position and she leaned on my shoulder and uttered: 'She's gone.' I tried to find an answer, and I said: 'No she's not. She'll always be with you. Her memories will never be gone.'

***

This is in loving memory of a woman of strength and courage named Ligaya Tolentino, in which her name means 'Joy' or 'Happiness' in Tagalog/Filipino, gave joy and happiness to her family and friends and loved ones. Rest in Peace, nanay.