Loss

In the book Slaughterhouse 5... Billy-the main character, is taken away by Tralfamadorians to their planet, Tralfamadore. While he is there, they show him the way they live... and they share with him their many perspectives on life. One day, they have a discussion about death. On Earth, death is sad. It is a loss. On Tralfamadore death is not sad, it is just another chapter in life. The Tralfamadorians do not grieve. The ones who die, are believed to not really be dead. They believe that they are only dead at that moment- and there are many other moments that they are still alive. At any given time a Tralfamadorian can remember memories with their loved ones. Those special moments will never change. They were alive at the moment created, and they are alive through remembering. They spend their whole lives focusing on joy.

Beautiful.

What really is loss? Can it be defined? Is it a feeling- defined by emotions? Is it avoidable? Is it a part of life? Is it really as bad as we perceive it?

I would say that the usual definition for loss is something along the lines of....Being unable to find something- a misplacement. Being deprived or being without something you once had. Failure.
Then there is the intensity- to what extent is the loss? But who are we to say? It is completely subjective to the individual. It can not be defined. The emotional range can not be made into a graph- charting severity, or amount suffered. To walk a mile in someone else's shoes...I can only imagine.

Sometimes loss can't be avoided, or changed. You won't always be able to find what is lost. But it isn't always about the beginning and the end- sometimes it is about the journey in between.



Ps. Read Slaughterhouse 5