Why is it that we never speak about death seriously?
There is one connecting fact for every human being on this planet.
Fact: you will die.
The ultimate statistic: 10 out of 10 people DIE.
Ever since conception we are all heading on a pace towards death. This is inevitable. There is no way out. We are all going to die. We are mortals. Why is it that we try to silence death when there is such clear evidence presented towards us of our own mortality? Could it possibly be because we are so afraid of what lies ahead?
A friend I ate lunch with recently alerted my mind to one problem with this culture. She was explaining the difference between the understanding of pain and death when she was little as compared to how the culture understands it today. She told a story of how her cow died and she cried for weeks. Nowadays, she exclaimed kids see death on television and video games all the time. Could it be that this culture has become immune to the reality of death?
I remember at basically every funeral I went to there was little respect paid for the dead. Most of the people outside the funeral home were joking and laughing. Many of them were in conversations that had nothing to do with the dead. Some of them were even talking about such worthless things as football games and television shows. WHY?
Someone had just died! Someone's family was in the funeral home in complete pain and anguish! Yet, the world of friends this man had were outside laughing about a football game! Hopefully, I am not the only one who sees something horribly wrong with this situation!
My father and mother ever since I was young, have basically taught me to ignore death and bad things. I can remember times where I would say something like 'this car could crash into that ditch' and my mother or father would respond 'man, don't say things like that'. I remember other times when I said something about death or people dying and they basically shushed me up again. WHY? Why were even my parents trying to ignore the ultimate fate of every human's life?
Just as their is a serious financial problem for people who live their lives without planning for tomorrow... there is also a serious spiritual problem for people who live their lives without realizing one day they will die.
Prayer: Father, I pray that I will never lose sight of the time I have left on this planet. I pray that I will always use this time you've allotted me wisely and for your glory. I pray that people will recognize their own mortality and run to the cross of Christ. Amen.
+ Jakab +
