Carpe Diem

Just last August 4, 2007 at around 3 am, my uncle passed away. Though there were many undesirable behavior he had, many other good attributes overshadowed them. He was a true person who expresses what he feels with neither reservations nor pretensions. He was a true friend who was always there in times of need even if his resources were too limited. At our place in the province, you can see people who are living within and below poverty level. These were his friends and companion and were really at a loss for his death. There were quite a number of people who went to the funeral and until the day of burial. It was just so unfortunate that he wasn't able to stop his addiction to alcohol.
When he was still alive, he often mentioned that "Heaven and Hell is on Earth". People never really understood him. Even now, I still don't get what he really meant with that statement. At least what I've grasped is that we can experience all the misery (hell) and happiness (heaven) in this planet. He lived a life full of misery. That I know for sure. I don't know if he was ever happy. It really saddens me that I was unable to do anything out of his situation. Maybe I'm just too weak. Always pointing to the limited resources that I have. Always blaming even though I believe that people who love to blame are lame. But again, maybe he experienced the happiness through the companionship that we had with our family, and with his workers that served him really well. I just hope that I will eventually understand his words -- "Heaven and Hell is on Earth".