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On Death.
14 years ago
I didn't think I was going to make a journal but a good friend of mine said I should channel my feelings into an expressive outlet and now here we are.
So someone dies. It's not someone you know, but suddenly, because their dead they seem to dominate your attention. "Who was he?" "What was his story?" "How did he fit into the community?"
Most importantly, "How did he die?".
And that's the problem isn't it? Suddenly an entire person is reduced, to those who barely knew him, to a death. If the death strikes one as tragic the person becomes a tragedy and if it strikes one as comedic it becomes a comedy. Either way nothing is left, just theatre at it's most superficial. You suddenly get to absorb yourself in the story of So-and-So who died and you get to feel for a second to be part of some event bigger than yourself, whether your there for catharsis or to throw popcorn at the stage.
But people aren't caricatures .They mean something to one another in a more profound and more immediate way than a theatre can only aspire to by being real and constant, and not entertaining. They're to fixed to be. Moreover we all leave such a mark on at least one other person whether we realize it or not. So when the person is finally gone those who do know them, don't see The Death they see the Absence. And seeing all the people around them who reduce the person they knew to something so ephemeral (especially as an ephemeral form of ridicule)...well they feel disrespected. And with good reason.
So when you heckle the dead, you're not really mocking the dead person themselves. Part of the virtue of being dead is that they can't hear you after all. What you're really mocking are the people who were close to the dead person IN LIFE.
And that's all I have to say.
So someone dies. It's not someone you know, but suddenly, because their dead they seem to dominate your attention. "Who was he?" "What was his story?" "How did he fit into the community?"
Most importantly, "How did he die?".
And that's the problem isn't it? Suddenly an entire person is reduced, to those who barely knew him, to a death. If the death strikes one as tragic the person becomes a tragedy and if it strikes one as comedic it becomes a comedy. Either way nothing is left, just theatre at it's most superficial. You suddenly get to absorb yourself in the story of So-and-So who died and you get to feel for a second to be part of some event bigger than yourself, whether your there for catharsis or to throw popcorn at the stage.
But people aren't caricatures .They mean something to one another in a more profound and more immediate way than a theatre can only aspire to by being real and constant, and not entertaining. They're to fixed to be. Moreover we all leave such a mark on at least one other person whether we realize it or not. So when the person is finally gone those who do know them, don't see The Death they see the Absence. And seeing all the people around them who reduce the person they knew to something so ephemeral (especially as an ephemeral form of ridicule)...well they feel disrespected. And with good reason.
So when you heckle the dead, you're not really mocking the dead person themselves. Part of the virtue of being dead is that they can't hear you after all. What you're really mocking are the people who were close to the dead person IN LIFE.
And that's all I have to say.
I believe that whatever feelings one had for the deceased, showing respect is always the best route to take. The best way, in my opinion, to get a good idea of someones character is watching how they treat those who are in the same position that they are in or below their station, and how they treat the deceased.
Oh, I couldn't agree more :/
t literally gets under my skin when I see people do this,
especially on aheria's page. She was a good friend, she will
be missed, and suddenly, since she is no longer with us,
she seems to have everyone's freakin undivided attention, and
to make matters worse, they've been adding to her watch list.
Why are you going to watch her? She's not going to rise from the dead,
let her rest in peace.
Thank you for posting this journal.
Somebody said to me today, "Don't worrie about what people are thinking, because there not doing it to often".. People could look for the reasons why or attack the reasons for. But what everyone should remember is A life is not a charator, its not a avatar, its not a game, its not there for use and amusement.. Its a person, a real life person with feelings attached. And if people can not recognize that then they should realy look at there own self reflection and think about who they are.. thats if they know themselves.