I am really enjoying not only writing blogs for you, but reading others as well. I’m getting perspective and it encourages me to think a little before I rant or ramble on a particular subject, but also encourages me to express myself on a particular subject.
There are two hot topics I run into frequently,
1. Social Security reform. Not much for me to say here, except that anyone who thinks nothing should be done and left the way it is, needs to think about that a little further. It’s nice to know that we(as in a government) have taken out much of the poverty at the retirement age, but many of our children are at or near the poverty level.
2. GOD! This a heavy subject anywhere, but pretty popular with bloggers especially in wake of the Tsunami. I have many thoughts on God and faith, but I’m saving that for another rant or ramble.
The issue at hand with the almighty on this one is Death. It seems to some that the only way one should leave this life and go to the next, is to fall into some easy and peaceful slumber and pass on, obviously that doesn’t always happen.
I don’t understand why we(as humans) question Death, and also I don’t quite understand why we fear it(still ranks tied for #1 fear with speaking in public). Because it’s constant, it happens every day, in many ways to everything. Everything that has lived is dead, and anything alive is going to die! We know this, and yet we continue to question, and even challenge the thought, by saying things like, “How could this happen?”, or “Why would GOD do this?” The unpopular answer is, because it was the time for it to happen.
I hope I’m not sounding harsh, or insensitive so I will try and put a positive spin to this.
It was Admiral James T. Kirk who said to a Lt. after she had a rough going on a simulator test where she wiped out her entire crew. “How we deal with death, is just as important as how we deal with life.” The young Lt. responds with “That thought had not occurred to me.” And the battletested commander correctly replied with, “Well now you have something new to think about!”
One of the things that motivates me, and gives me hope for the universe, and the human race is, what are we going to know, that we don’t know now. 3000 years ago we thought the Sun revolved around the Earth, and that the Gods determined what kind of year or life we are going to have. 600 years ago we(Europe) thought the world was flat, 20 years ago I used an Apple IIc, 10 years ago I used a VCR, 5 years ago I used AOL. Think about what I will know or use, or see tomorrow, next month, next year or in the next five years. So if I take Admiral Kirk’s advice, think about what I’ll know when that time comes to pack it in. That’s just it, I’ll know, what I don’t know now. This is where the fear comes to people because even if you believe in an after life, which is it for me, heaven or hell? If I don't believe you still know! You either say "See I told you so, boy it sure is dark here." or you say "Ooops, hey there God, how is it going?", and you go from there.
So from my perspective if the Tsunami was God’s will, the people who died are in God’s hands. Those who survived, relief is coming from all over the world, including Ricky Martin. If it's not in God's hands then that's just how the Earth works, and the risks you take living on it.
Final thoughts(today, I look forward to your comments) on Death and Life.
There are two shows I enjoy on competing networks on the subject, HBO’s Six Feet Under, and Showtime’s Dead Like Me.
Six Feet is pretty good(***), but has become more of a Soap Opera, about a dysfunctional family that runs a funeral parlor, and how they deal with their dysfunctions(the mother is married to a man who thinks a nuclear holocaust is approaching, one son is widowed the other is homosexual) and live life with death surrounding them.
I enjoy Dead Like Me a little more(***1/2) because is stays more on the subject, and has better character development with it’s supporting cast. The main premise is the story of a teenage girl who didn’t give a crap while she was alive, comes to grips and learns to start embracing life and loving her family now that she's dead and spending her afterlife has a grim reaper. As the second season moved along they’re having a hard time coming up with new ways for people to kick the bucket but like I said the character development is getting better as it goes along. Check them out when you get a chance. They are both available on DVD.
With all that death talk continue to have a great Day!
PAC
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