In images when the body does not appear, objects such as dead flowers, a mirror, two clocks, soiled underwear, or a string of lights serve as a series of memento mori, reminding the viewer of the abject frailty and transience of life lived during the plague years of the AIDS crisis. (visualaids.org)
The omnipresence of poverty promotes awareness of the transience of life, the dependence of individuals and nations on God, and distrust of the secular order. (religion-online.org)