Would You Write a Will If the COVID-19 Pandemic Goes On?

The Double Take column looks at a single topic from an African and Chinese perspective. This month, we discuss if it is necessary to write a will if the pandemic goes on.

A Way to Say Goodbye

Cao Lin

A 33-year-old bank manager in Shenzhen

If it were not because of the pandemic, I would not consider writing a will at this age, because in Chinese tradition, we believe that talking about death brings bad luck. However, I’ve learned from the chilling global death toll growing each day that we are more vulnerable than we think we are. Behind the death toll are people just like us, and in a connected world still suffering from the havoc of the virus, anyone of us surviving can be the next victim.

Most people in China may think that they don’t need a will, especially if they don’t have much of an asset to distribute after death. To me, however, writing a will is significant more in that it can be a way to say goodbye properly to the world and to the ones we love, in which we can conclude our lives and express gratitude and sorrows, in addition to wishes about the handling of our assets left behind.