On Death and Dying and Other Contradictions

Dad had another stroke and I'm angry at...well, everything. Okay, not everything, but an awful lot.

I'm not angry at anyone in particular, except maybe God for not taking Dad despite how long he has wanted to go join his wife, my mom, in the Hereafter. Maybe some annoyance at my mom for not coming to pick up my dad. But really, it is what it is.

The majority of my anger is around the rules of death, dying, killing, and preparedness.

My Judeo-Christian upbringing considers death a horribly sad event, yet laced with hope in the peace and tranquility of another life. It lauds the giving up of one's life for another as second to none in the symbols of love and sacrifice, but condemns the taking of one's life to prevent further pain for others as a one way ticket to Hell. It also condemns the killer of the innocent to Hell, but is quite clear about ganking the guilty to prevent the spread of his cancer in society. And lastly it attempts to prepare us for the inevitable end of all life in this realm with promises of a better existence, commensurate with our level of endured suffering.

Is death a horribly sad event?  Not if you believe in a Hereafter - I mean really believe.  Otherwise, it's a bitter-sweet event that happens to every living thing, with the inevitable outcome of some kind of reunion a little bit later.  Tears are shed when a loved one moves to another state, but it's not devastating.  So, it's understandable that tears are shed when a loved moves to another "state".  But if you're devastated, you might want to reevaluate the firmness of your belief in the Hereafter.  As for me, while I'm often saddened by Mom's death, they are just the occasional, random waves of missing her.  Rather like one might feel about missing a loved one in another state.  I'll see her later.  And if I don't - if I'm wrong in my beliefs - I won't care anyway.

What about the heroism of dying?  If I throw myself on a grenade to save my brothers in arms pain and injury, is that suicide?  Am I going the Hell?  Of course not.  Yet if I take another action to purposely end my life with full intention of helping and saving others injury or death in any other form, I'm going to Hell on a hand-truck.  I find this contradictory and a bit offensive.  We all choose how we die.  And we all die badly.  But dying with purposeful intent - THAT is heroism.  How can that be worthy of hell-fire?  I believe it is not.  We choose how we live, and so long as we live with the welfare of others in mind, we are practically sainted - and we should be.  When we choose how we die, so long as we die with the welfare of others in mind, we should be as sainted as when we choose to live the same way.

I have a problem with the concept of suffering as a way to purify our lives so we are more worthy of Christ's sacrifice.  I believe that the more suffering we endure, the more we are ignoring the Gift Christ gave.  If we are suffering, we should endure it until the bitter end.  Why?  I have been told that it's because it helps us understand His Sacrifice a little better.  You know, the Sacrifice that He made so we didn't have to suffer.  And I'll just leave it at that.

In short, we are on this planet to experience this life, to make choices as best we can until the bitter end.  As it should be.  Not as it is, but as it should be.

"The Whore" or "The Beast"?

Many people consider the Internet "The Beast" spoken of in the Book of Revelation. I think it's "The Whore". Consider what a whore is for. Now consider how the 'Net is used. Women have their needs met by Facebook, instant messaging, text messaging, etc. Men have their needs met by all the free porn. No need for women to connect with their men, nor men with their women. Sad, isn't it?