Death
Anne Frasier started up an interesting discussion on the brokenness of writers and whether death has had anything to do with it.
This is roughly the comment I left on her blog:
If I have any fascination with death, it's because of the taboo surrounding it.
When someone dies we are supposed to be extremely careful about everything we say, even if it happened on the other side of the globe and we have absolutely no connection with the events. We're not supposed to talk about death, for fear that even the mention of it may bring bad luck. In some cultures, widows wear black for the rest of their lives and never remarry.
All of this gets the rebel in me fired up.
Death is part of life. It seems absolutely absurd to ignore it or brush the subject under the carpet.
I want to be able to joke about death. I want to imagine what life would be like if my loved ones die, or what it would be like for them if I die.
Death comes to us all, so I believe I have the right to explore the subject in any way I see fit, so I can come to terms with death in my own way.
When I die, I don't want to take up land that could be used for something better. Compact me into a brick and use it as a foundation stone for a building. Don't dare cremate me and pollute the atmosphere. Dispose of my body in an enviromentally friendly way, because I don't really care what happens to it. I'm no longer there.
When I die, I want people to dance to John Lee Hooker singing Boom, Boom, as loud as the sound system can go.
My death is mine, let me deal with it as I please.
8 comments:
daniel, thanks so much for the link and your great comment! i'm surprised and gratified by amount of participaton in this subject -- and now i'm even more fascinated!
I'm glad you posted this Daniel - I read your comments and actually said you should post about it.
Thanks for speaking up and sharing your thoughts.
I'm with you, Daniel. Given the fact that being compressed into a brick seems to be not an option, I've asked my family to toss me in a drift of leaves in the forest. Let the bugs and beasts take care of me.
Probably won't go the way I want though. Sheesh, can't we just let a fellow be dead in peace?
Anne, it's a terrific topic, and a universal one, but the reason everyone has been talking about it is because of your great skills at 'bartending'.
Cheers, Sandra. Fellow Crimespree debutantes obviously think alike.
Thanks for dropping by, Bill. Sounds like we're in full agreement. Excellent comment on Anne's blog, by the way.
Death is certainly a part of life but it's just so damn sad sometimes, especially when it's someone close and you just won't *see* them again. Nor hear them laugh or cry, or even just hug them.
I think in most cases people just don't *know* what to say so it becomes this awkward moment that eventually heals with time and then yes, you can hopefully laugh about it.
I still can't laugh about my uncle dying the way he did though.
does anybody else imagine tripping over bill's dead body while out for a walk in the woods?!?!
and then suddenly finding these poorly-planted bodies all over the damn place????
oops, there's another one!
memories of my uncle: when i tended real bar, travelers sometimes stopped and asked if we had a restroom. i would cringe, because my uncle would always shout and point to the door: "Yeah, out behind that tree!" i would never do that. :D
Does this mean we have a permanent link or something? When should I share the names of the men I think are sexy?
Just found this, Daniel.
We're going the cremation route. Then the kids can pour half of us into separate containers, and carry a little of us wherever they go.
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