Thinking about the Day of the Dead

I took this photo of the thinking man during the Day of the Dead celebration. I wonder what is on his mind.  I have been thinking about death lately. Seeing skeletons brings death to the forefront. Maybe it is a good thing, to sit back and think about one's life and the ending of it. We never know....... I may not be alive for next year's celebration of the Day of the Dead.  So what about my life? What is the meaning of my sixty seven years on this earth? Did I accomplish anything? The age old question, What is the meaning of our lives?

It is a different world than when I first arrived here, during World War II.  Or maybe it hasn't changed much at all. There are still wars and the wealthy still are in control and poverty is everywhere. People continue to love each other. Babies are born all the time. There are divorces. Families become estranged. People die.

So what else is new? Maybe the communication. Now instead of searching for one book to read, I can access thousands of books on the internet. I can watch thousands of movies. I can e mail to thousands of people at once. But does this make my life more meaningful? Maybe by a fraction. Just more choices and choices sometimes overwhelm me. I like the simple life. That is one reason I live in Mexico.  Life is less complex here, unless you want to make it so with schedules and appointments. I don't.  

Today I feel like that man sitting on the sidewalk thinking.  Thinking and thinking and still no answers about the meaning of my life.  All I can do is live from one day to the next and be as conscious as I can about my decisions.  Loving the people who come into contact with me either in person or by way of the internet is about the only thing I can think of that is important.  Everything changes and the changes are happening at lightening speed because of our communication systems now. But the only thing that matters, at least in my mind, is the love we express to others. Everything else is pretty much just fluff, noise and static.... We are born with nothing and we die with nothing---except the impact we have had on the people in our lives.   That is our immortality.  I hope mine will be more positive than negative. (My brother, if you ever read this, please forgive me for my part in our estrangement.)