I visited the cemetery a few days ago to pay respects at my Uncle’s grave and I couldn’t help but notice the graves that surrounded his. I find it interesting to examine others’ graves; for instance, I usually first notice the size/design of the tombstone, and then the epigraph, and then finally the years during which the person lived. And usually, separating the person’s birth and death years is a dash. Honestly, how many of us have overlooked this dash? This dash is probably the most important part of the tombstone; it essentially signifies the years during which the deceased lived. Sure, he/she was born in a given year and then died in a given year, but do those years really matter? Isn’t it the in-between part that actually counts? So many of us focus on the decorum of the grave…whether it is prominent in size, whether it is composed of expensive marble, or whether the epigraph is meaningful.

                At the time, I felt that for some of the deceased, this dash should actually be abbreviated to a hyphen. For instance, there was a child that was born and then died approximately two years later…a short life, yes, but I guess a life nonetheless. Therefore, I suppose that it is not up to me to decide whether he/she ‘deserves’ a dash or a hyphen…after all, I didn’t know him/her and therefore, would not be able to judge whether or not he/she impacted others’ lives in some way, shape, or form. And then again, doesn’t everyone to some extent impact someone else’s life, whether intentionally or not? So, don’t we all then deserve a dash, regardless of the longevity of our lives?