a will

I rose very early to draft a mock will for an imaginary Rollo Dwight. He has a modest estate to dispose of. At the age of 39, he has quite a few things to think of. What if he dies while the children are young? What if he has other children later on? What if his child die before him? What about the children of his deceased child?

It looks like he is swarmed by the relationships he has with the rest of humanity. In truth, it is only a small handful of people who are on his provision list, and poor old Rollo thinks that they are the world to him.

But are they? Don't we all come alone and die alone. It appears so but our existence was never independent from others'. At no point in life, do we not live on the goodness of others. And we reciprocate the goodness and keep it going around. So maybe this is why we think about others who need our help.

I thought buddhism is necessarily pessimistic as buddhists live in contemplation of death. But death is not the end. We want to take care of certain people who die after us, be that our relatives or strangers. This rudimental act of kindness defines humanity.