Embracing ‘Inyeon’ in My Life!
We brush against numerous people in one lifetime, and it is never a coincidence!
How often do you find yourself starting to write something, only to completely scrap it? This week, I’ve attempted to write something every day, only to discard it and toss it into my digital dustbin. It has been a particularly challenging week from a free-flowing perspective. Yet, here I am, writing about something that struck me just a couple of hours ago.
Today, a close family member passed away. I wasn’t particularly close to him, but have known of his greatness and heard tales, especially over the last year or two.
And while death is always a touchy subject, I believe I have reached a point in my life where losing people from my familial and friendship circles has become more frequent. Have I built resilience? Perhaps not. Have I grown accustomed to it? I suppose I am becoming more used to it. But I don't think I will ever get used to referring to someone as the "body" once they pass away. I understand it , still that concept doesn't sit well with me.
So, folks, please address me by my name even after I die. Also, have fun; don't carry guilt or be morose. Just have fun. Laugh and smile.
It’s funny how we tend to think most about someone’s deepest nuances after we lose them. It’s almost easier to carry the guilt of not doing enough for them than to celebrate someone’s time during their life on earth.
Today, though, I could only think of good, even better, great things about this particular person. I thought of the great things I had heard about him, his life, and what he must have been through these last couple of years.
How he had this calm demeanor that instantly instilled nothing but my respect for him. I thought about the very few conversations we exchanged, and how he always had this Bombay-influenced Hindi / Tamil in his conversation, setting it apart from our usual spoken slangs and accents.
Then on my way back I pondered, wondering if I had built some story with him, and if I was in some kind of Inyeon with him in this life.
This untranslatable term relates to a uniquely Korean concept of destiny.
Inyeon can refer to connections between friends, family members, and why people meet each other at a particular place and time. However Korean pop culture have twisted the concept to focus solely on romance.
I’ve engaged in numerous fleeting conversations with the individual who passed away today. However, is it odd for me to desire a deeper understanding of him in our potential encounters in my next life?
