Obituaries and reasons
Obituaries and reasons
Updated 10:14pm (Mla time) Jan 08, 2005
By Flor Lacanilao
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A13 of the January 9, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
AFTER RETIRING six years ago, I have observed some things I hardly noticed before.
Let me start with obituaries. Reading them has become a daily habit. When I come across a death notice on somebody who died at the age of 50 or 60, I am thankful to be healthy at 70 and, mind you, with my hair still black. Obituaries of people who die at the age of 80 or 90 make me wish I would live as long.
My interest in obituaries led me to conduct a "survey" of the death notices published in the Inquirer from March to December last year. The survey covered 1,075 death notices, 620 of which were for men and 455, for women. Though not based on random sampling, the "survey" came up with some interesting findings. In 230, or 21 percent, of the obituaries, the profession of the deceased was shown. Nuns had the longest lifespan, averaging 85 years. The priests came next with an average of 80 years, followed by the doctors with 75 years, the military officers with 73, lawyers with 72 and engineers with 70.
On the average, men died much younger than women -- 71 against 78 years old. Doctors, who are supposed to have studied the human body, die younger than priests by an average of five years. The 67 doctors in the obituaries even included women who, on the average, live longer than men.
Our obituaries, unlike in other countries, greatly vary in size, suggesting social status (117 were large: one-fourth page and bigger; and 319 were small: less than one-fourth). Seventy-five was the average age of the dead in the large obituaries; 72 in the small ones.
Many of those who announce the death anniversaries of their loved ones request readers to pray for the eternal repose of the souls of the departed, never mind if they have been dead for years. I wonder how many readers heed their call for prayers. And I doubt if one could appeal the fate of a soul denied of eternal rest on Judgment Day.
From obituaries, let me go to wedding anniversaries. Many couples renew their wedding vows. Does this mean their marriage or relationship has weakened through the years that it has to be renewed? Or does this mean that they need a fresh start (which is no longer possible), or a reminder that they are still married? Either way, the "renewal" of wedding vows could be interpreted to mean that a marriage has failed or is failing.
Recently, I was at the golden wedding anniversary of a cousin, who was celebrating the event with his wife largely in thanksgiving. There was no renewal of wedding vows. He explained that wedding vows are unlike a driver's license, which has to be renewed because it expires. But the celebrants gave each other a golden ring in celebration of the 50 years (perhaps the old rings were not made of gold and had faded) they've been together as husband and wife. No words were spoken in the exchange of the rings because everyone already knew what it meant.
I have had more observations when I go to our farm in Quezon province. For instance, a big arch shows the name of a town as you enter it. On leaving that town, you see another big arch but without the next town's name. Instead, written on it are the big letters "Salamat Po." While frequent travelers take such signs for granted, they mislead tourists and puzzle visitors who expect to see the name of the next town. Thus, tourists conclude that a town is between two municipalities of the same name: Salamat Po.
My 9-year-old granddaughter was telling me what she just learned in school. Her teacher had told them that old tires dropped into the sea could serve as fish shelter. The idea must have come from a government program-introduced some 20 years ago -- promoting the use of old tires to build artificial fish habitats. But artificial habitats or reefs are also effective fish-aggregating devices popular among American anglers to improve their catch. In the Philippines, this can lead to overfishing.
Copying from developed countries without careful study may do more harm than good. Japan and the United States can strictly enforce fishery laws, but the Philippines cannot. Hence, our use of old tires as artificial habitats only serves as a fish-attracting device, which leads to further depletion of our already overfished coastal areas. I hope such wrong or obsolete ideas and concepts are not taught in children's textbooks.
We are probably the only country where both the metric and English systems of measure are used. Floor area is expressed in meters, tiles in centimeters. But textile is measured in yards, and lumber is sold in feet and inches. Meat and fruits are weighed in kilograms and grams, but babies' weight is commonly given in pounds and ounces. Water companies sell in cubic meters, but water tanks in subdivisions are marked in gallons. Children, even from exclusive schools speak of feet and inches more than meters and centimeters. So do government leaders and media people. We have been so influenced by Americans. Is it not that by law the Philippines has adopted the metric system just like most other countries? This is the reason companies are required to label locally made goods in kilograms, grams, liters, milliliters, etc. As usual, some refuse to comply. And a mix of metric and English units is seen in advertisements. As the dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law noted of traffic violations in the Philippines, "Laws are mere suggestions, compliance optional, punishment negotiable."
I think we should have valid reasons for doing things, if we are to move forward. Common practice and tradition are reasons hardly good enough to justify our actions.
Flor Lacanilao, 70, is a retired professor of Marine Science from the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
Updated 10:14pm (Mla time) Jan 08, 2005
By Flor Lacanilao
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A13 of the January 9, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
AFTER RETIRING six years ago, I have observed some things I hardly noticed before.
Let me start with obituaries. Reading them has become a daily habit. When I come across a death notice on somebody who died at the age of 50 or 60, I am thankful to be healthy at 70 and, mind you, with my hair still black. Obituaries of people who die at the age of 80 or 90 make me wish I would live as long.
My interest in obituaries led me to conduct a "survey" of the death notices published in the Inquirer from March to December last year. The survey covered 1,075 death notices, 620 of which were for men and 455, for women. Though not based on random sampling, the "survey" came up with some interesting findings. In 230, or 21 percent, of the obituaries, the profession of the deceased was shown. Nuns had the longest lifespan, averaging 85 years. The priests came next with an average of 80 years, followed by the doctors with 75 years, the military officers with 73, lawyers with 72 and engineers with 70.
On the average, men died much younger than women -- 71 against 78 years old. Doctors, who are supposed to have studied the human body, die younger than priests by an average of five years. The 67 doctors in the obituaries even included women who, on the average, live longer than men.
Our obituaries, unlike in other countries, greatly vary in size, suggesting social status (117 were large: one-fourth page and bigger; and 319 were small: less than one-fourth). Seventy-five was the average age of the dead in the large obituaries; 72 in the small ones.
Many of those who announce the death anniversaries of their loved ones request readers to pray for the eternal repose of the souls of the departed, never mind if they have been dead for years. I wonder how many readers heed their call for prayers. And I doubt if one could appeal the fate of a soul denied of eternal rest on Judgment Day.
From obituaries, let me go to wedding anniversaries. Many couples renew their wedding vows. Does this mean their marriage or relationship has weakened through the years that it has to be renewed? Or does this mean that they need a fresh start (which is no longer possible), or a reminder that they are still married? Either way, the "renewal" of wedding vows could be interpreted to mean that a marriage has failed or is failing.
Recently, I was at the golden wedding anniversary of a cousin, who was celebrating the event with his wife largely in thanksgiving. There was no renewal of wedding vows. He explained that wedding vows are unlike a driver's license, which has to be renewed because it expires. But the celebrants gave each other a golden ring in celebration of the 50 years (perhaps the old rings were not made of gold and had faded) they've been together as husband and wife. No words were spoken in the exchange of the rings because everyone already knew what it meant.
I have had more observations when I go to our farm in Quezon province. For instance, a big arch shows the name of a town as you enter it. On leaving that town, you see another big arch but without the next town's name. Instead, written on it are the big letters "Salamat Po." While frequent travelers take such signs for granted, they mislead tourists and puzzle visitors who expect to see the name of the next town. Thus, tourists conclude that a town is between two municipalities of the same name: Salamat Po.
My 9-year-old granddaughter was telling me what she just learned in school. Her teacher had told them that old tires dropped into the sea could serve as fish shelter. The idea must have come from a government program-introduced some 20 years ago -- promoting the use of old tires to build artificial fish habitats. But artificial habitats or reefs are also effective fish-aggregating devices popular among American anglers to improve their catch. In the Philippines, this can lead to overfishing.
Copying from developed countries without careful study may do more harm than good. Japan and the United States can strictly enforce fishery laws, but the Philippines cannot. Hence, our use of old tires as artificial habitats only serves as a fish-attracting device, which leads to further depletion of our already overfished coastal areas. I hope such wrong or obsolete ideas and concepts are not taught in children's textbooks.
We are probably the only country where both the metric and English systems of measure are used. Floor area is expressed in meters, tiles in centimeters. But textile is measured in yards, and lumber is sold in feet and inches. Meat and fruits are weighed in kilograms and grams, but babies' weight is commonly given in pounds and ounces. Water companies sell in cubic meters, but water tanks in subdivisions are marked in gallons. Children, even from exclusive schools speak of feet and inches more than meters and centimeters. So do government leaders and media people. We have been so influenced by Americans. Is it not that by law the Philippines has adopted the metric system just like most other countries? This is the reason companies are required to label locally made goods in kilograms, grams, liters, milliliters, etc. As usual, some refuse to comply. And a mix of metric and English units is seen in advertisements. As the dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law noted of traffic violations in the Philippines, "Laws are mere suggestions, compliance optional, punishment negotiable."
I think we should have valid reasons for doing things, if we are to move forward. Common practice and tradition are reasons hardly good enough to justify our actions.
Flor Lacanilao, 70, is a retired professor of Marine Science from the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
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