Lakewood Cemetery is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I know. I love to walk and slowly drive around inside the cemetery. And by doing so, what strikes me most is an awareness of a certain singularity that is surrounded by a sea of differences. The singularity is the regular display, etched or carved in stone, of dates that depict the lifespans of those interred. The differences are the locations, sizes, shapes, colors, artworks, and names on the monuments that are displayed throughout the grounds.
Taken together, they evoke a consciousness of the temporary and finite quality of life itself, and of the permanent and infinite quality of an expired life. That consciousness produces an aura of the sacred. Lakewood Cemetery’s endowed beauty and peace provide a perfect setting to contemplate the sacred, which helps to mitigate the fear of one’s own passage into that permanent infinity.
