Yes, I know, this is not exactly a cheerful title, but I think it will be a pleasant post, and anyway we are in the middle of the week after all. Maybe that's why I thought about funerals. It happens sometimes. There are many, many scenes in The Wire I love, this is one of them. There is the friendship of these brothers in arms, a sincere, honest eulogy of a man who did is job well (most of the time), the loss and sorrow drowned in alcohol and party atmosphere. Oh, and there is The Body of an American by The Pogues.
I don't know if I want a funeral wake like this when I die, but I do want something akin to this: a night in an Irish pub, good music (maybe more this song, as I am not a "free born man of the USA") and a eulogy that would not idealise me too much. There is no worst homage than a fake one. "He was called, he served, he is counted." That is all that needs to be said about any half decent man I think.
Those last two lines resonates deeply with me. Imagine what sort of world we would live in if we all were of service to our fellow human beings, be it it some small way? If we all counted for something other than the pursuit of material wealth no matter the cost. Our generation doesnt understand the concept of serving a cause greater than ourselves for the most part. Recently the last WW1 combatant Claude Choules died at the age of 110. A dear friend of my mother recently died at 89, and was a pilot in WWll. I abhor war, and I think we too often glorify it, but these two wars were fought to defend the freedoms that we in democratic countries now enjoy. They were not wars thinly veiled as attempts to protect the supply of fossil fuels we worship. They were about ideals, and virtues that were worth protecting. Your post today reminded me of this old man. He was of a generation called, who served, who counted, and made sacrifices that we can't begin to imagine. So thank you for reminding me of this. It would indeed be a life well lived if we earned a eulogy like the one you wrote here.
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ReplyDeleteThose last two lines resonates deeply with me. Imagine what sort of world we would live in if we all were of service to our fellow human beings, be it it some small way? If we all counted for something other than the pursuit of material wealth no matter the cost. Our generation doesnt understand the concept of serving a cause greater than ourselves for the most part. Recently the last WW1 combatant Claude Choules died at the age of 110. A dear friend of my mother recently died at 89, and was a pilot in WWll. I abhor war, and I think we too often glorify it, but these two wars were fought to defend the freedoms that we in democratic countries now enjoy. They were not wars thinly veiled as attempts to protect the supply of fossil fuels we worship. They were about ideals, and virtues that were worth protecting. Your post today reminded me of this old man. He was of a generation called, who served, who counted, and made sacrifices that we can't begin to imagine. So thank you for reminding me of this. It would indeed be a life well lived if we earned a eulogy like the one you wrote here.