Royal cremation a reminder of mortality and the need to heal

As the royal cremation of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana approaches, many Thais can feel in their hearts the sad finale to a life as we mortals know it. Many have chosen to wear black even days before the official three-day mourning period. Quite a few have elected to be contrarian and will do otherwise. It is their prerogative. Our society embraces differences and yet remains one that possesses the characteristics of a universe.

This Saturday, as people watch the royal procession, with all the accompanying regalia and the solemnity of the occasion, there will be tears. It is a part of being human and having feeling. In particular it is a part of the love and connection many Thais feel towards our unique institution. It is a part of remembrance.

But to look beyond, we will see the story of a life extraordinary, not because it was royal, but because it was one dedicated to the ideals that transcend banal self-interests and petty goals. It was one that sought no adulation and fanfare. It was a life in quiet pursuit of benevolent dreams that many can only wish they have but can never quite grasp. It was a life that extended beyond the realm of convenient comfort, not because it had to, but because it wanted to. It was a life truly regal in the real sense of the word, not simply because of birth, but because that was the way it was lived and what it achieved. Such recognition will bring tears to many as they recognise the inevitable finality of it. And these are tears to remember.

"She was the patron saint of music," said Somtow Sucharitkul, a man of many artistic talents who is composing a significant requiem in her memory. He described her as possessing an unfeigned and guileless sense of wonder about music and the arts, and one who was capable of seeing the world through the unsullied eyes of a child. Through the years, Her Royal Highness rendered much needed support to the artistic communities and artistic endeavours in Thailand. She understood the cold fact that arts need to make money to survive, so every time she accepted an invitation to preside over a musical event, she insisted that everybody in her accompanying party pay for the tickets. She created scholarships and endowments for the arts and with her keen interest, genuine appreciation and generosity, the artistic landscape of Thailand thrived. Her passing will mean many of these organisations are going to face tenuous prospects. But at one point or another during her time, they were given a chance to blossom.

It was not only the artistic communities that benefited from her kindness, there have been many charitable organisations - be they public health, general welfare, or public service - that have done great work for the community due to her initiative and support. And she did all of these things unceremoniously.

By all accounts, the Princess's life was unpretentious and unassuming by choice. Years ago during a visit to Paris, she took the subway with the then Thai ambassador and his wife. On it, there was a Thai lady who kept staring at the Princess and then remarked in Thai, "You look like the sister of the King." The Princess smiled gently and did not confirm the observation. She needed no recognition; she wanted to be ordinary.

Unfortunately, all of these qualities and attributes cannot be said about the majority of the players on Thailand's political stage these days. Remembering and recognising these qualities brings about saudade - a sense of longing for something that is lost. But if anything, such a memory should serve as a catalyst for a new beginning, so tears of longing are not shed in vain. It is not only a way of honouring her life and her work, but it is also a way for the nation to heal.

If anything, her passing serves as a worthy reminder that life is finite, fleeting and short. After all the fighting and tearing each other apart - with the aim of inflicting as much harm and as much pain as possible to perceived and real adversaries - we all end up in the same place: with nothing more and nothing less in material and tangible terms. By forgetting that truth about life while living, and by failing to make the world a better place before leaving it, our lives, not just our tears, will be in vain.

On the morning I went back to the temple to collect my father's ashes, I saw the shape of a human body assembled from his bones and ashes that remained. It was the moment about which my father taught me his final lesson about life. I will remember it to the end of my time: "That's all there is to it."

So as we mourn the passing of Her Royal Highness, it will be her life and her legacy that we should take heed of so the healing may begin, as we bid her our final farewell.

When the day comes, I no longer exist

And I've become a mist, a darkest night

My soul, escaping from this mist

Will leave the earth in its longest flight.

It will soar through the stars, searching

For itself and the God that set it free

And like the water to the fountain returning

I'll become the dream that created me.

("Beyond Saudade" by Anrique Paco D'Arcos and translated from Portuguese by Jose Pedro da Silva, his son.)