The Hebei girl who quit her job in an Internet factory to become a relic organizer:

　　Talk to the deceased through objects and learn a lot

　　"The work of sorting relics seems to be sorting objects, but what actually connects them is life. Regardless of survival or passing, objects are a bridge for the dialogue between life and life. The final point of sorting relics is how to combine the client and objects with the dead. On August 14, Sika, as a relic organizer, shared his understanding of relic organization at the TEDxShenzhen 2022 annual conference held in Shenzhen, which aroused thunderous applause.

Sika, a 32-year-old girl from Hebei, became a relic organizer by chance a few years ago.

In an interview with Ziniu News, she described her mental journey from being an employee of a large Internet factory to a relic organizer. She said: "The old objects in the living room seem to let me see the life of the deceased. Relics not only organizes It's subtraction, and sometimes addition."

　Enter the line

　　Disregarding the opposition of family and friends

　　Resigned from an Internet company to become a relic organizer

　　Sika, a 32-year-old girl from Hebei, is now a relic organizer and leads a small team in Shanghai.

Previously, she also worked as a tax accountant, advertising planner, and worked in a large Internet company.

In her opinion, at that time, she was like a "tool man", living a numb and meaningless life.

　　In 2019, she resigned from her job in a large Internet company and became a full-time organization consultant. In her opinion, this is what she really likes, and it is also a job that can directly help others.

"Organization is not simply subtraction, but may also be added, depending on the owner's living habits and hobbies. I hope that through my work, customers can live in a concise and efficient environment."

　　Sika said that customers who come to consult about the arrangement of their relics are generally in a very confused state. "They don't seem to know how to deal with parting, and they don't know what to do with the relics left by their relatives, so they found it. We." Sika said that before each work, we must first understand the specific situation of the client's home, judge the state of the relic, and then give advice on sorting.

　　Sika told reporters that at present in China, some elderly people without children usually need them to come to their house to sort their relics. "They usually entrust their friends or distant relatives to find a relic organizer before they die. By the client." Sika will also be entrusted by relevant non-profit organizations or administrative agencies to sort out the relics of some elderly people living alone.

　　Sika has also encountered some young people sorting relics for their grandparents who have passed away. "They generally have a very deep relationship with the elderly, and they asked us to sort out the relics so that they can keep it as a memorial."

　　In Sika's view, "arranging relics" is a matter of great social significance, but it cannot escape the opposition of family and friends, "Some people will think that this is a particularly unfortunate thing, but I will not because of their opinions. And change. Of course, there are friends with advanced ideas, who have been encouraging me from the beginning.” Sika also received letters from strangers when she was confused, “Some netizens will email or socialize after seeing some reports. The platform privately messaged me, thinking that my experience gave them new expectations, and they wanted to try things that they wanted to do before but were afraid to do because of the eyes of the world.”

　reward

　　First time doing relics

　　It's like seeing a "Museum of Life"

　　The first time Sika came into contact with relics was two years ago. The first client she met in Wuhan was Grandma Zhang Mingfang, who lost her 78-year-old wife Tao Kaiwang.

Grandpa Tao Kaiwang is known as "Grandpa of Staff" because he often carries a stack of handwritten staff in his backpack.

　　As soon as he saw Sika, Zhang Mingfang led her around the house and showed her the items that his wife had used in the past.

First, there was a thick stack of manuscript papers with lyrics and scores in the storage bag of the sideboard, all of which were written and composed by Grandpa Tao himself, and then the tuba, pipa, violin, guzheng... Zhang Mingfang from time to time took out his wife from various parts of the house to play before his death The old musical instrument, while wiping, talking about the interesting things from the past.

"I actually don't like him doing this, because it costs a lot of money, but he really loves it. After a long time, I will accept it. When I go out to buy food, it is his good time. Sing." Zhang Mingfang said that Grandpa Tao made so many musical instruments that he wanted to form a band in the community.

　　Grandma's narration was very vivid. When she talked about some naughty and interesting things about her grandfather, Sika couldn't help laughing, as if she was joking with her grandma about a familiar old friend.

Such a warm picture is very different from everyone's stereotype of "relic arrangement".

　　When counting the items, Sika found a golden wedding photo that Zhang Mingfang had never been looking for.

Zhang Mingfang and his son couldn't help laughing when they got this photo with the strong studio style of the last century.

Zhang Mingfang recalled that his wife, who was a soldier, was not good at expressing his emotions with words. He said "I still like you very much" all his life, but if Zhang Mingfang went out to buy food and it rained, Tao Kaiwang would always pick her up with an umbrella. go home.

　　When Sika saw Tao Kaiwang's musical instruments, books, cameras, tokens, and photos laid out one by one on the floor of the living room, he seemed to see a "life museum". , This is a person who is not good at expressing love directly, but loves his wife throughout his life.

"I hope to keep it as it is, just leave it as his original habit, and leave it as a souvenir." According to Zhang Mingfang's request, Sika put Tao Kaiwang's relics one by one according to the previous habits.

　　"Memories are hard to give up. It is also a good way to remember the traces of the deceased's life through these and talk to the deceased through objects." Sika lamented that when sorting out their belongings, she first This time I feel that maybe marriage is not as "terrifying" as young people think today.

"I think this is the meaning of relic sorting, to leave good memories about the deceased and let the living live better."

　comprehension

　　Reaching more groups due to relics

　　Explore industry standards that meet the national outlook on life and death

　　Since becoming a relic organizer, Sika has met a lot of people she has never been in contact with before.

As a relic organizer, you need to have a strong ability to empathize, but you must also be able to restrain and hide your emotions, "because we essentially provide guidance and advice to customers, if we break down emotionally first, we will give trouble for others."

　　Sika said that the feeling of sorting out the relics of each deceased is unique, and every time she talks with life, she can form a new reflection on life.

This kind of thinking will make Sika keep a sense of vigilance at all times, "I always think about how I should spend my life." After sorting out the relics so many times, Sika often asks herself, "How can a person live in the world alone?" What is the value through?"

　　Recently, Sika has received several finishing jobs. The deceased are young people, and the cause of death is karoshi.

She found that these young people have won many awards or proud experiences in the past.

"And there are older people who sometimes find out they're close friends with some of the characters in the history books, and those things always strike me deeply."

　　When seeing these relics in front of him, Sika will always be moved, "I can't help but describe in my mind what he looked like in his lifetime." Sika said that he could see it on some objects. A person's real life is a very meaningful thing in itself, "because this will not label this person, but will shape him into a flesh and blood person."

　　Sika said that his current work status is only to sort out the relics, and not to clean the room of the deceased. "I am now exploring a set of industry standards for relics sorting that conforms to the Chinese concept of life and death."

　explore

　　The team members are mostly female, and they are basically highly educated.

　　I believe that the industry will have new prospects

　　As the head of the organization consulting team, Sika has interviewed many young people who came to apply for relic organizers. "Their mentality is very simple, and they think they should be able to make a lot of money." She said that in fact, a relic organizer is a very ordinary person. Occupation, but because this occupation is very new, and there is no mature market and industry standards, the income is not so stable.

"The price we do for a single relic arrangement is generally in the four-digit range, and the specific amount must be determined by specific circumstances."

　　But this does not affect many highly educated talents who come to apply for Sika's finishing team, "Our team members are basically undergraduate or master graduates from 211 colleges and universities, and there are many majors, including archaeology, computer, psychology, etc. Study, law, etc." Sika introduced that his team is currently post-90s, post-95s and even post-00s, and most of them are girls.

　　"Because the aging trend in China is obvious now, many elderly people living alone now have the need to organize their belongings, but they just don't know that someone can help to do this." Sika also began to advocate the organization before death, hoping that those who are about to die can put their belongings behind them. The matter is ahead of schedule, and the initiative is in my own hands, but I have not yet received an order for sorting out before my death.

"I hope that through what I do, in a step-by-step process, everyone can gradually have a correct view of life and death, and have the concept of relic sorting."

　　In the future, Sika may not be limited to the profession of relic organizer. "If I observe other social phenomena, I also want to do another profession." Sika said that he just wants to take on the responsibility as an ordinary person. more social responsibility.

　　Ziniu News trainee reporter Xu Shaoda Da Yue