Here is a list of fearful things:

The jaws of sharks.

A vulture's wings.

The rabid bite of the dogs of war.

The voice of one who went before.

But most of all...

...The mirror's gaze...

...Which count us out our numbered days.

- Clive Barker.


Mr Clive Barker is an English horror and fantasy writer, according to one of my favourite websites, zenpencils.com. Beautiful illustrations of famous quotes by Mr Gavin Aung Than. Do check it out. :)

This is going to be a long post, so you've been warned.



Anyway, coming back to the theme of the poem. Old age and death is something that we humans cannot escape. But perhaps if presented to you the cure for aging, a miracle drug, and once you take it, you'll become a postmortal. Not an immortal, but a postmortal who can live till the end of days. Except that you are still susceptible to diseases and other physical changes. If you are exposed to a lethal disease or trauma, you can still die.

But if you can evade all these, you can stay the way you are, right now, at this moment, till the end of days, if and only if you take the drug. Will you?

That's what being discussed in the novel called The Postmortal by Drew Magary. It's a thriller that discusses what happens if this miracle drug appears in our world and what kind of effects it will bring. The result is a horrifying turn of the basic morals and principles that we hold on.

Coming back to reality, I can see that all of us, including me, are trying to hold on to the youth that we have, or we had. Advertisements are sprouting everywhere promoting their latest supplements, serums, what have you, that can at least delay the way we age by a minute or so we hope.

We tried or are trying right now to conform to the public's perception of beauty. Pick any gay man on the street and I believe that he must have tried something to make him look better, either creatine or fillers or a new diet plan.

Then there are people who will say "I want to die peacefully in my sleep in my fifties because I fear old age." But this person mentioned here is in his twenties.

Koreans are obsessed with beauty. The eighteen year olds gets plastic surgery for their birthday gift, if their parents can afford it. Every female Korean pop singer starts to look the same. Long curled tresses, double eyelids, v-shaped chins, high cheekbones. Everyone starts to look the same.

I won't deny that I'm afraid of death. The last time when he arrived to take my maternal grandmother away I am confused and stressed out. Still am, but I start to understand, albeit slowly. It's a process that we get through in life, isn't it?

But yet, I still want to age gracefully. Definitely not wanting to end up looking like shit when I'm in my fifties, but more like Isabella Rossellini. That doesn't mean I won't think about getting a nip or tuck. Or that cure to aging if I can get my hands on it.

But the obsession of us wanting to be beautiful, wanting to be buffed up, or wanting to transform ourselves so that we can gain acceptance of a certain clique, is starting to rear its ugly head.

The obsession starts to turn to fear, and it's beginning to be in our top list of most fearful things.


Namo amitabha. Take away the "I", that is ego. Take away the "Want", that is suffering. And all you're left with is "Happiness".

- The Buddha.

 P/S: Excuse me for the long hiatus and lack of pics since I have limited connection to the Internet. But thank you for all those who came to visit and to view my blog. :)