(no subject)
This is our civilisation's unhealthy refusal of death at its best. How many testimonies have I heard on the news this last couple of days, of people who by their own admission can't accept it? Regardless of what I think of John Paul II's bloody stupid policies (not thinking of condoms, not thinking of condoms), I think that it's high time to let go, people. What is it with your obsession with pushing death further and further away? Death is something to be accepted and embraced. I've lost some people, not all of them old. One especially was a very dear friend of mine, she was 18 and she did an aneurism (sp?). It made no sense and I wish I could have made it be untrue, but I didn't refuse to believe it. Death is part of life and denying it is the worst way to deal.
Now I really wish John Paul II would just die, so that we stopped with the endless reports. The cynic part of me is mildly impressed that they haven't already showed a report about the candidates for his succession.
greenie_breizh just pointed out how ironic it was that he's dying on the weekend of Sidaction (action against AIDS).
And why are they all making such a fuss about it? All those wakes-in-advance? Nobody spares a thought for the thousands of other deaths all the time (not just a few of which are his damned fault, due to his condom policy), and here one guy who has clearly lived his allotted time (and then some?) is finally going to die and everybody prays to "accompany" him to the other world. Isn't he supposed to be a holy man, according to their religion? Why would he need to be accompanied? Isn't this god of love and peace going to welcome him perfectly well anyway? And yet everybody prays for him, and nobody spares a thought for those who could actually use a prayer or two.
I've been raised a Catholic. Hey, I was even blessed by the Pope once. I still remember it, it was a bit crazy. People were so crazed about it all, as if he were some rock star or something. He was just an old priest to me, he had nothing extraordinary. Now I respect people who are Catholic (my parents are, my whole family on my mother's side so is, sometimes to a fault), and those who view the Pope as some sort of paternal figure, super-holy man or what-not. It's just not my case. I just see a priest with far too much media attention, and I see some crucial flaws of our civilisation reflected in the media hype. Namely, our inability to deal with death.
Now, I do apologise for this rant. It just needed to get out, what with the news not speaking about anything else.
Now I really wish John Paul II would just die, so that we stopped with the endless reports. The cynic part of me is mildly impressed that they haven't already showed a report about the candidates for his succession.
greenie_breizh just pointed out how ironic it was that he's dying on the weekend of Sidaction (action against AIDS).
And why are they all making such a fuss about it? All those wakes-in-advance? Nobody spares a thought for the thousands of other deaths all the time (not just a few of which are his damned fault, due to his condom policy), and here one guy who has clearly lived his allotted time (and then some?) is finally going to die and everybody prays to "accompany" him to the other world. Isn't he supposed to be a holy man, according to their religion? Why would he need to be accompanied? Isn't this god of love and peace going to welcome him perfectly well anyway? And yet everybody prays for him, and nobody spares a thought for those who could actually use a prayer or two.
I've been raised a Catholic. Hey, I was even blessed by the Pope once. I still remember it, it was a bit crazy. People were so crazed about it all, as if he were some rock star or something. He was just an old priest to me, he had nothing extraordinary. Now I respect people who are Catholic (my parents are, my whole family on my mother's side so is, sometimes to a fault), and those who view the Pope as some sort of paternal figure, super-holy man or what-not. It's just not my case. I just see a priest with far too much media attention, and I see some crucial flaws of our civilisation reflected in the media hype. Namely, our inability to deal with death.
Now, I do apologise for this rant. It just needed to get out, what with the news not speaking about anything else.