Startling Pattern Emerges

It's like they're all just waiting for us...

I think my grandfather's death was the first that really affected me as it happened, though I understood the concept of death, having seen a lot of T.V. westerns, along with media coverage of the Vietnam War, the Kennedy assassination, the Munich Olympics and other deadly events.

I've seen a number of deaths, since, and taken note of many more, but the tight grouping of celebrity deaths in the last week has made me look back over my experiences of death, and I have begun to sense a pattern.

Stay with me, here. I'm no conspiracy nut, but it begins to appear that no one is safe, and that the chances of death for any one of us - by my rough figures - approaches 100%. For instance, the older I get, the more people in my general age group pop up on the news, having died in one way or another and it is most often treated as a surprise, if not a shock.

But the shock, to me, may be unjustified. I don't want to start a panic, but it looks to me like we may all be headed for the cemetery.

"Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Psalm 90:12

Last week we heard first, of course, of Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett, then Michael Jackson... next, Billy Mays and this morning I read that Fred Travalena and Gale Storm passed away.

I have no great observations to make, except to say that the only genuine shock for me would have been if Michael Jackson had somehow lived to a ripe old age. I did not see how he could manage much longer. Over the past few years he appeared to be a shell.

I have good memories of Fred Travalena, who often appeared on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, was all over the variety show circuit, and also starred with Rich Little, Frank Gorshin and other master impressionists on The Kopycats - a comedy show (which I never missed if I could help it) built around impressions. He was also an extremely prolific and successful voice actor.

Most people may not know anything much about Gale Storm, but my wife will remember My Little Margie (which was old already when we watched it) from our days as college students, when we could count our TV channels on one hand.

For a long time, when driving by by a cemetery, I have had the distinct and unshakable sense that those dwelling under the tombstones are watching and waiting and maybe chuckling a little... laughing at the living and their frantic and petty preoccupations. Sometimes, I can't help but laugh, too.

This idea of the connectedness of the living and the dead runs deep in the human heart, and is confirmed in the doctrine of the Communion of Saints... which is just the Church expounding on the teaching of the Lord that "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."  (Luke 20:38).

Comments

[Michael]

I wrote a story about this idea back in Dappled Things' first edition:

http://www.dappledthings.org/advent05/fiction01.php

There is one positive aspect to media coverage of celebrity deaths, I suppose: they have everything we think we want, and yet it still comes to nothing in the end. A memento mori, and hopefully a reminder to pray for their souls.

[Ukok]

I think i was about 11 years old when my grandmother died. She was the first person who broke my heart.

I really did feel totally bereft when her life ended. In fact i was so distraught the decision was made by my parents not to allow me to go to the funeral.

Back then I knew that death existed, but I never realised anyone I loved would ever die.

I've lost a lot of people since, friends and family members, my daughter's father being the most profound loss almost 17 years ago (on July 21st). I remember it like it was yesterday. Horrible. The police coming to our home and telling me they had found Steve's body. God. I don't even want to think about it. I was holding our 8 month old baby in my arms and oh. There are some kinds of hurt that just never diminish, even after 17 years. Brutal.

It bothers me sometimes the whole furore that ensues when a person who lived a 'public life', dies.

There are people dying every day through lack of food and water and medical care, through corrupt governments etc....the only time they ever hit the news is when some celebrity gets off their backside to go and wander the slums as either a publicity stunt or a humanitarian endeavour (which also brings with it publicity if they are famous to start off with).

I'm very sad for the kind of life M.J. had with his father beating him and pushing him on and on and showing very little love toward him....M.J tried to find that which was missing from his life by exploring various avenues...but it seems pretty clear to me that he was never truly happy...either with himself or with his life. That's why i'm sad for him. The same as i would feel sorry for anyone who as abused and felt unloved and led a turbulent life.

As it happens, I'm not devastated by his loss to the music world. I think he left us a pretty good legacy of music. Some may disagree, but i think he had already given us his best work.

Farah Fawcett. Well i loved Charlies Angels as a girl and Farah was like my Sindy doll, only she was a living, breathing version...she was the Angel every little girl wanted to be most like....and the one that most of us would never be like at all!

From the little i know about her i think she bore her illness bravely and i would hope that i could be half as courageous if i should ever have to undergo the disease she had.

Over here she wasn't a big star' since about 25 years ago when she was in Charlie's Angels. I feel most for her son (with Ryan O)who was already off the rails by all media accounts.

I pray for the souls of M.J and F.F. But these are 2 souls, amongst the souls of many hundreds of thousands who will die this week...whose names will never be upon our lips, who do not fill our memories with their music or acting ability.

[Ukok]

Gosh, that was a long comment, sorry Tim!