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In this COVID pandemic we're dealing with right now, I feel like there's an elephant in the room that nobody is talking about. Death. It's inevitable for all of us. Life requires it. What is its role? How do we want to die? Dying with dignity. How have cultures across time handled pandemics without any sense of control of the outcomes? How can we live a good life, one of virtue and peace, in the face of our certain and eventual death?
I'm not going to offer any kind of advice because this is something unique to your faith tradition. But I'm expressing frustration that in my own small circle of church-goers of many faith traditions, atheists, left-wing, right-wing, pastors and laity, I haven't heard one person talk about death. And any faith or spiritual practice that doesn't teach us how to deal with death, something every person will face at some point, it is spiritually empty -- bankrupt, if you will. Stripped of its ability to help us deal with the fundamental aspects of life on earth, it is worthless.
I hear discussions about fear, loss of control, comfort, isolation, etc. but not death. I hear a lot of talk about saving lives but, sadly, medicine cannot and never has been able to save lives -- it can only postpone death. For some people, medicine hasn't even extended their lives so much as extended their dying. Every life must end. And death is necessary for life to continue. Faith traditions frame this fundamental law of nature in different ways (Christ's sacrifice, as an example). Ancient philosophers, such as the Stoics also dealt with it (Momento Mori). I could go on and on with examples from older cultures & various faith traditions but I'm sure you get the point. So why is it that I can't hear this anywhere today?
It isn't something unique to our current situation but, arguably, to our culture at large. I had read somewhere that about 1/4 of all Medicare spending is on the final year of life (I'm skeptical of stats and all the more when it's outside of my field so take that figure as rumor, not fact). People talk about how every life is precious or sacred (and I would agree) but to exclude death from our conversation is beyond naive -- it's outright denial.
I'm not saying we should abandon our elderly (far from it) or act in ways that dismiss the gravity of death or we should be careless toward the frail. I'm not even saying we shouldn't practice social distancing right now (which I am doing). I am just saying that I don't hear anything other than crickets about the inevitability of death from any faith leaders right now. And that saddens me.
So if your church or faith tradition has ways of handling death, please share. Share it here but especially among your friends and faith community. I appreciate the earlier post from Mr. Baker -- leaving your worries in the hands of the divine is a healthy attitude. Glad to see it. Any others?
I'm not going to offer any kind of advice because this is something unique to your faith tradition. But I'm expressing frustration that in my own small circle of church-goers of many faith traditions, atheists, left-wing, right-wing, pastors and laity, I haven't heard one person talk about death. And any faith or spiritual practice that doesn't teach us how to deal with death, something every person will face at some point, it is spiritually empty -- bankrupt, if you will. Stripped of its ability to help us deal with the fundamental aspects of life on earth, it is worthless.
I hear discussions about fear, loss of control, comfort, isolation, etc. but not death. I hear a lot of talk about saving lives but, sadly, medicine cannot and never has been able to save lives -- it can only postpone death. For some people, medicine hasn't even extended their lives so much as extended their dying. Every life must end. And death is necessary for life to continue. Faith traditions frame this fundamental law of nature in different ways (Christ's sacrifice, as an example). Ancient philosophers, such as the Stoics also dealt with it (Momento Mori). I could go on and on with examples from older cultures & various faith traditions but I'm sure you get the point. So why is it that I can't hear this anywhere today?
It isn't something unique to our current situation but, arguably, to our culture at large. I had read somewhere that about 1/4 of all Medicare spending is on the final year of life (I'm skeptical of stats and all the more when it's outside of my field so take that figure as rumor, not fact). People talk about how every life is precious or sacred (and I would agree) but to exclude death from our conversation is beyond naive -- it's outright denial.
I'm not saying we should abandon our elderly (far from it) or act in ways that dismiss the gravity of death or we should be careless toward the frail. I'm not even saying we shouldn't practice social distancing right now (which I am doing). I am just saying that I don't hear anything other than crickets about the inevitability of death from any faith leaders right now. And that saddens me.
So if your church or faith tradition has ways of handling death, please share. Share it here but especially among your friends and faith community. I appreciate the earlier post from Mr. Baker -- leaving your worries in the hands of the divine is a healthy attitude. Glad to see it. Any others?
died on ____ day, _____, 20__, and regardless of whatever medical gobbledygook the coroner put on his death certificate, he DIED after a lifelong battle with Original Sin."
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