No peace at the Shore of Peace

THE EDITOR: Last week I attended the cremation of a close relative at Mosquito Creek, aka the Shore of Peace. However, a most distasteful and inconsiderate “event” cast a shadow over the solemn ceremony as my family and I sought to find peace at the Shore of Peace.

There were other cremations taking place on that day, including one held in a most scandalous manner. The attendees at that cremation had absolutely no consideration for the other grieving families.

There were extremely loud, reckless bikers, a blaring music truck, alcohol, trailer-drawn jet ski, cars etc, all indiscriminately encroaching on the pyre of another deceased person. The chaos resembled that of a street show.

Was it a display of how happy they were that their relative had died or was it a show of how disrespectful and inconsiderate we can be as a people?

The Shore of Peace, as the name suggests, is a sacred mourning ground used by people of different faiths and those who use the facility must be thoughtful enough to respect such places.

Alcohol is not used by many faiths in their religious ceremonies, so to see people with champagne and other alcoholic beverages is totally unacceptable.

When a family pays for the use of the site, it is understood that the same rules apply to all others. If vehicles are not allowed beyond a certain point, why were so many noisy vehicles allowed near the pyres being used by other families? I witnessed old people intimidated and scared by the noise and reckless driving of the bikers and drivers.

The Shore of Peace is definitely not the place for such activities. Thank God that one of the bikers did not lose control and fly into the crowd. For people wishing to have the fete-like atmosphere in their cortege, they should do so in the privacy of their homes or before the cremation site. The Shore of Peace is sacred and should be given the respect due to it and mourners.

I hope that the regional corporation would look into upholding the standards and laws that govern the use of the Shore of Peace. This is a mourning ground where families go to pay their final respects to their loved ones. It is a very difficult time for them and it is unfair to have it rudely interrupted by indiscriminate people.

Many people seek that quiet atmosphere at the creek to ask for peace for their loved one and seek the mental strength to get closure for their loss. This cannot be achieved when that peace is disrupted by revving bikes and cars, loud inappropriate music etc.

Please let us respect each other and be tolerant as we seek to find peace at the Shore of Peace.

ALLANA MAHARAJ via e-mail