Readers Who Write

Previously, we dealt with the direction of life and the concept of human experiences of that life (RVT, Nov. 6). We should now also deal with the other phase of life, which is death.

The question remains, is our existence only limited to the period between life and death? There are many definitions of life, but most of them are poetic — abstractions with little relevance to living and the word ‘life’ is used in many ways with wide meanings. Whatever life is, you are in it, you are here, you are alive and living. Life is whole; the universe is whole. Even though we may experience this wholeness ‘in part’, there is that part of us that is changeless and deathless and eternally involved in the universe.

Some people may feel that it is terribly negative to discuss death, however, a fear of dealing with the subject should well indicate a bondage to the subjection. If death comes, it must be part of the wholeness, not a deviation from it. Judging life by appearances, you may focus on times of tragedy or failure or even unhappiness. And you may understandably conclude that life has been hard. But if you use righteous judgment, seeing all things in the context of the whole picture, you will rejoice that life is good and when darkness comes before the dawn of light and then the tragic loss opens into growth and gain.

All attempts to explain or describe the experiences of death are meaningless. Obviously, all of it is not easy to realize when you stand before the casket containing the physical form of whom you have loved. But if it is disturbing you, it is because your understanding of life is not broad enough to encompass life which is above birth and death. Life is not limited to your body. If your body should be laid aside in the experience we call death, it is not the end of you or the movement of life that is being projected through you as you. Somehow, man has always innately felt that life is eternal, and that death is not the final thing it appears to be.

Early Christians for 300 or more years followed the belief that there was rebirth through reincarnation.

But the doctrine of reincarnation was effectively nullified by the early church-fathers at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 AD. This council was convened by the pagan Emperor Justinian I. In every change we see evidence of the process of death and rebirth. But understand that the study of reincarnation is not profitable: not what you have been, but what you are now is the issue. There is also much interest today in the so-called “spirit world” into which departed ones go and in attempts to make contact with loved ones through psychic means.

But these physic dabbling’s certainly will keep you unnerved and confused. There is little that is constructive to be gained and the whole of your stability of life may be lost in such a quest.

When your loved one has passed on, there is an obvious sunset, as the light and love of your friend runs beneath the horizon of human communication and darkness fills the sky. Then you may be moved with feelings of loneliness and desperation. Even when you feel that darkness of grief and you are torn with a terrible sense of loss, it is because you have become overly dependent for love and support through this person. Even though there are those that claim that grief is a mark of respect, almost like a duty that should be performed. Of course, it is natural to have feelings of sadness. Any prolonging of grief, any attempt to hold on to the one who passed, is a mixture of guilt and anger.

But still, sadness deeply surrounds you. You now have to go through the special times such as Christmas, “Old and New”, the birthdays and anniversary dates by yourself. Memories of celebrations of those times now strongly come to the fore and the loneliness is deeply felt. But you go on and remember those special days with the dearly loved ones and they can be highlights of your togetherness of the past. It will be something to savor and to treasure in the future.

So you say you want to write?

Go for it.

Send us 500 or so words of scintillating copy. Make it funny. Make it poignant. Make it count. Make it any way you want.

Just don’t cuss. Don’t be boring. And have a point.

If we like it, we’ll run it.

Email submissions to community@rv-times.com. Put “Readers Who Write” in the subject line, and tell us the city where you live.