I didn’t intend this to become a blog of death. It just seems that recently, whenever I fire up WordPress, it’s to blog about another person’s passing.
This past week, a close friend’s father died. I received an email at 8pm, asking me to pray because he had been admitted into hospital for a stroke and was in a coma. The next morning at 9am, I received a second email stating that he had passed away.
How frail our bodies are - how we can walk through our days, not feeling the presence of the scythe bearer!
Yet, to view the ravages of death, I don’t have to look very far. I can read the news and weep over the disasters and the obituaries of the famous. I can even pick up my church directory from 5 years ago, and realize with a shiver how many I knew are no longer here.
It’s against this backdrop that any impulse I have to write about my day’s activities shrivels. And it’s not just that I had a boring day, or that my life is uninteresting to most people. Even what we consider significant cannot transcend the void. I’m not bringing up anything new, in fact Solomon said it much better in Ecclesiastes 1 (verse numbers at beginning of line):
2 Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. ..
11 No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.
Still, I am not sounding the nihilistic drumbeat. It is elemental within us to want to honor the good that people have done, and to strive to make our moments meaningful. I did not know my friend’s father personally, although I could tell from his children that he was diligent, honest and helpful. When he passed away, it was in peace with his family nearby and a smile on his face. Isn’t that wondrous in itself? Quoting Solomon again, Ecclesiastes 3, this time:
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, ..
12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.
13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.
I know that my friend’s father is dearly missed, and I pray for comfort and peace for his family during these days of mourning. Indeed, I pray for something more – that they can see beyond this meaninglessness. But to hold that view takes faith – it is not falsifiable and cannot be tested scientifically (how can science measure the unmeasurable?). One more quote from Solomon, Ecclesiastes 12:
13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
(For my friend – I know you are being strong during this time, partially of necessity, and you may find what I’ve said excessive. I only hope I have given your father due honor for what he has done for you and your family).
As we get older, we unfortunately deal with 生离死别 more. This topic has been “haunting” me recently as well – not directly, but in general.
Comment by dkl — October 28, 2011 @ 6:57 pm |
Yes, we certainly see it more often now. For me, the floodgates seemed to open after college – perhaps I knew more people then, of all ages.
Thanks for reading my blogpost on an unpopular topic. These incidents certainly make me reassess my behavior – at the very least, spend more time with family. I see from your blogpost you are already doing that – hard not to, with your lovely family.
Comment by jensyw — October 28, 2011 @ 7:10 pm |