High Gate Cemetery is very green, majestic, and peaceful. Many historic individuals are buried in the cemetery, such as George Eliot, Karl Marx, and Douglas Adams. For this reason, the cemetery is on the National Register of Parks and Gardens. Touring High Gate with my class allowed me to learn a few facts from the tour guide about the surrounding grounds. For example, I learned that many Londoners came with their families during the 1800s to escape the pungent smell of the Thames, which spread throughout London, and to teach their children about morals.
As a class we learned that the symbols etched on gravestones usually give the viewer hints as to what the person buried did during his or her waking life. Some of the most expensive and elaborate above ground graves were constructed out of stone and marble. High Gate cemetery remains to be England’s most expensive graveyard. A grave starts upwards 3,000 pounds. There was so much history present in the cemetery, which made the cemetery feel eccentric for many reasons.
As I walked about High Gate on a rainy Thursday afternoon and glanced about the gravestones, I wondered about the people buried there and how short their life was. Eventually, I started thinking about how short life truly is. Surrounded by death, I felt like holding on to my life very dearly. At that moment, it became pretty evident how precious life is, and how lucky I was to be alive. Sometimes, we as humans rarely appreciate the simple fact that we are still alive because our minds are preoccupied with other things, like work, school, or family. I quickly started to think about my future. Will I accomplish all that I have set out to do? Will I be a lawyer? Will I have children? How long will I live? Even though I do not have the answers to such questions, all I can do is continue to live my life in the present moment and appreciate all the ups and downs that come with life, while never taking it for granted.
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