Dearth of Deaths Recognition.
Dearth of Deaths Recognition.
The Egyptian book of the dead was an instruction on how to deal with the demised and prepare them for the after life. It was an instructional book that gave an obligation on the living to care for the deceased in an organised and respectful way and depicted ceremonies that had to be performed to offer the best advantage to insure that the deceased was carried to the after life with full respect and the necessary resources. This preparation in its extreme is shown up in tombs and mummy finds and one might assume that with the cultural attitude of the time that the same care, albeit on a much poorer level, was also carried out for those that believed in the same attainability of an after life.
Although the book could well be read as part of a religious process and made specific to the time of the pharaohs, it might be that some element of the intention of the ceremony themselves relies on written records built on centauries of previous verbal rituals that marked the passing of a life from one realm to another. In this organised process it may have offered a more conscious mechanism for the living to both mourn, pay respect and create a power source for the deceased to move to another place and thereby give some continuity to the living that they may also be given the same rite of passage when their own times comes.
Throughout time different ways have been made to formulise the process of death. The process of formalisation stemmed from before the time of old cultures like the Egyptians, Mayan, Indian, Aboriginals etc to the organised ‘undertakers’ and church gatherings of today. They have all carried within the ceremonies some form of symbolism to pass the spirit on. Such symbolism that there is, formalised in the organisation of death, are in many cases poignant ceremonies that are both sad and hopeful and marks the mortality for those that attend such ‘ceremonies’, reminding them also that every step taken by them is one to ones own parting. However as society as become more specialised and to some extent disfranchised from the process of actually taking care of the deceased body, the process and disposal of the remains has become sanitised. As social structures have become sophistically complicated this sanitisation is probably useful and to some degree this is also as a result of the legalities surrounding death, the interment process and subsequent cremation due to a lack of space to bury the remains.
Death, stating the obvious, is a very personal affair, very few have any fore knowledge of the appointed day and for those given the responsibility to attend to residue affairs it is an onerous and emotional task. To those few that do have time to get their affairs in order, it is potentially a stressful period but one that at least offers some time for preparations and ‘good bys’, however the time given is generally as a result of time limited physical or mental disintegration and in most cases not necessarily a welcome one.
In some ways death has always been hidden away, it is not a general lively dinner table topic of conversation. In life one might carry such aspiration, imagination, hope and fears; only busy in the activities of survival and life; too active to know that an end will come. Is it enough to know that as: - “humans forget the simple tenet: - they are born, they die, the in between bit is too short to be totally happy and too long to be always miserable!” Yet if there is time for contemplation in life, how can one avoid examining the question; is this all there is? Not to do so in some way denies the quest of a curious spirit.
To get a sense of how much humans avoid a discussion of death consider the angst over whether to have or not have a death penalty. The main argument against the death penalty is that it is:-
An ultimate sanction to serious acts of crime, usually acts of murder, with no chance of correcting a mistake inflicted on an innocent person if one is made.
In a civilised society it is not acceptable to have organised state driven putting too death; as it can be seen as a failure of civilised society as a whole to avow such legal judicial termination that can find no other means of controlling serious acts of crime.
Is it the only way that a crime of such a serious nature can be punished in order to have the offender not able to commit any other such crimes that would otherwise call for completed whole life incarceration?
See 6th Commandment 1.1.06
Humans are born and accept that they are alive in the present as consciousness takes place but apart from being acquainted with death as a secondary condition of life that is to befall others, the nearness of it to one own departure is avoided. It is being denied its rightful place in the normal life process and society is not generally respecting the process of death; that there is a time to die. As the preparation for death is un-discussed and the actual process of dying has become subcontracted, it is as if the imminent nature and likelihood of death can be delayed by pushing the palliative and ceremonial element of death onto others less directly involved and one might say thereby abrogating a balancing cardinal responsibility of being alive.
Although specialism in the organisation of death duties has made it more manageable, the choice of how or when is usually not within ones control. With the application of medical assistance which can delay a departure and the subsequent funeral and disposing of a deceased remains, there are times when the ability to prolong a life is not helpful and simply complicates the passing. Such resistance against dying although understandable may not be one of choice for the departing soul, in which case direct action is needed to intercede and bypass the rectitude of social constraints. Currently intercession could be by the use of legal assistance, i.e. the withdrawing of medical support after protracted consultation, DNR, or assisted suicide which carries some risk for those associated with carrying it out. There is another alternative.
There have in the west been great strides in challenging the variety of diseases that have afflicted wo/man, diseases that have been the cause of early deaths for millions. Deaths caused by poor hygiene and what might be now considered simple affliction that are now curable with modern medication offering an extension of life. With the ability to extend life that has improved over the past 100 years and increasingly the very high dependency of medial intervention, death for many is delayed; this is of particular importance within the young up too and in breeding age. There is a thought that with such intervention the natural health strength of western population is much weaker and will be therefore more susceptible to mutating diseases as predacious culling of the past generation has not taken place in the west over recent time.
With the beginning of gene modification and gene therapy is will be possible to treat many diseases that currently afflict humans but it will come at a cost and not all will be able to afford it. There is little doubt that for the foreseeable future that health care will be under server restraint in cost terms and although many would wish to have access to the best treatments that money can buy; it will not be possible to meet such expectations. Choices will have to be made and that choice will in the first instance be made by the rich, they will have the financial resource to afford costly medical treatment to avoid a presupposed early death. May others will have to seek the best economic option available that will be paid for from the public purse, many will be disappointed with not getting the best and most expensive aid seeing it as deigned right and limiting their life so condemning them to what might be seen as an ‘early’ death.
In all case the problem is that the affluent west, those countries that provide a decent health care system, citizens are increasingly demanding higher expectation from their health care system far beyond its ability to fund and do not wish to face the prospect of dying.
Given the plethora of doom laden films, lack of self control, greed and the growing environmental issue, these impacts and disenchantment or discontent that some people of the west have developed for the ‘good society’ might explain why some things are going of the rails. The sense that there is a degree of dissatisfaction or despondence in the benefits of social integration and the wealth, that has been accumulated compared with 2/3rd of the world population in degrees of poverty; may be a self defeating psychological attribute that seems to yearn for something to happen that both shakes the foundation of the society and provide change. The apparent weakening off the social structures, the raise in selfishness, lack of humanity values, ephemeral moral moderation, obliteration of social niceties and a lack of self discipline etc may give rise to a sense of additional foreboding to compound with the increase in destructive, violent, vulgar games and attitudes that have been pushed onto the media and computer ‘gaming world’. There is a weak consensus that a nihilism type of movement is taking place that is slowly degrading many elements of social structure and that this may be the cause of an eventual catastrophic carnage.
Change does seem to be required, to inject constructive appreciating values back into civil order but there is no reason why such change should be peaceful or initially pain free. With such destructive idealism in the general populace it may be conceivable that such thoughts bring about or even creates destruction. At a time of great stress it is likely that the desire to have change will bring into being the means for a massive shock to the systems that supports a civilisation, to reconstitute it into new foundations driven into existence by something like a maybe war, a pandemic or environment disaster!
If one considers just the recent financial credit crises and its constructed causes, it could bring to mind a proposition by sociologist Émile Durkheim and his idea of ‘anomie’, a term used to describe an emerging state of social deregulation, were the rules and expectations of peoples behaviour towards each other were dissolving. It is an idea that does not relate to an individuals state of mind but to the content of social structures in which individual are not guided by common self controls or morals but pursue selfish ends. His argument was that anomie became prevalent when the adjoining society undergoes change in its economic status, good or bad and particularly were there is major differences between ideology, theory, or values generally perceived as beneficial and what is really attainable in life.
For example a person with anomie may struggle to attain the good benefits of society like a high or decent standard of living commensurate with the ideological common good but would not be able to obtain such benefits lawfully due to structural limitation in the society no matter how hard they worked and may then be corralled into displaying abnormal conduct not conducive to the perceived common good
Given the weight of current bad news in the social system, from the credit crunch, recession, economies under pressure, conflicts, environmental issues and the actual harm caused by these event; may it just be the tipping point that will bring into being a manmade civil anomie or an event such as the, up to now, over played predicted global pandemic?. This is leaving aside the guaranteed affect of the looming energy crunch with non energy holder uniquely exposed. Is it too far fetch to think that with the current propagated financial fiasco which has had such profound effect on the authenticity of the economy of the west that an unexpected collapse of civil structure caused by a the likes of cultural pandemic, will follow?
If such an event were to occur, death would be on a scale not experience in generations and the Angel of death will be extraordinarily busy.
The Angel of Death or Grim Reaper as it is known in western terms or psychopomps by varieties of different names in other cultures is thought of as a creation of fanciful convenience. It has increasingly been associated with all souls night – 31st October Halloween and with the turn of the new years on the 31st December; all of comparatively recent development but its essence probably predates written history and carries with it the conviction of belief as an elemental force and its job is to guide the sprit of the deceased onwards.
Although depicted in a number of forms from animal representation to skeletal being disguised with cloak and the scythe of time, it is treated with some comedy or fear. It may be wrapped in comedy to hide the uncomfortable nature of its meaning and fear because of its unknown quality. Perhaps it should be feared as it hides the unknown but it could also be seen as providing a service whether one believes in an afterlife or not.
The Angel of Death, if asked to do so can help a dying process but it must be done without guile, or selfishness with good intent as in gods will with the willingess of the departing spirit. There is a thought that in asking the Angel of Death to consider departing assistance without the consent of the one afflicted or with ‘hidden’ ulterior motive, could risk rebound repercussions. Although it might be that the Angel of Death is often just taken to be associated with the task of progressing a death, generally on an individual or sometimes a block basis, its tasks is perhaps also to oversee the transition of civilisations. To clear out used up modes of unacceptable social behaviour and ineffective reproduction that does not have the ability to defeat diseases or adapt to new social integrations and it makes way for a new paradigm structures of civilisation.
Giving due attention to the process of dying no matter how it is done should be with a recognition that it is an unavoidable consequence of life and all life exist on death. If one has the choice, how much better to have the Angel of Death on your side at a time of need, to help ease a passage, perhaps when your time has come?
© Renot 2008
3110081507
The Egyptian book of the dead was an instruction on how to deal with the demised and prepare them for the after life. It was an instructional book that gave an obligation on the living to care for the deceased in an organised and respectful way and depicted ceremonies that had to be performed to offer the best advantage to insure that the deceased was carried to the after life with full respect and the necessary resources. This preparation in its extreme is shown up in tombs and mummy finds and one might assume that with the cultural attitude of the time that the same care, albeit on a much poorer level, was also carried out for those that believed in the same attainability of an after life.
Although the book could well be read as part of a religious process and made specific to the time of the pharaohs, it might be that some element of the intention of the ceremony themselves relies on written records built on centauries of previous verbal rituals that marked the passing of a life from one realm to another. In this organised process it may have offered a more conscious mechanism for the living to both mourn, pay respect and create a power source for the deceased to move to another place and thereby give some continuity to the living that they may also be given the same rite of passage when their own times comes.
Throughout time different ways have been made to formulise the process of death. The process of formalisation stemmed from before the time of old cultures like the Egyptians, Mayan, Indian, Aboriginals etc to the organised ‘undertakers’ and church gatherings of today. They have all carried within the ceremonies some form of symbolism to pass the spirit on. Such symbolism that there is, formalised in the organisation of death, are in many cases poignant ceremonies that are both sad and hopeful and marks the mortality for those that attend such ‘ceremonies’, reminding them also that every step taken by them is one to ones own parting. However as society as become more specialised and to some extent disfranchised from the process of actually taking care of the deceased body, the process and disposal of the remains has become sanitised. As social structures have become sophistically complicated this sanitisation is probably useful and to some degree this is also as a result of the legalities surrounding death, the interment process and subsequent cremation due to a lack of space to bury the remains.
Death, stating the obvious, is a very personal affair, very few have any fore knowledge of the appointed day and for those given the responsibility to attend to residue affairs it is an onerous and emotional task. To those few that do have time to get their affairs in order, it is potentially a stressful period but one that at least offers some time for preparations and ‘good bys’, however the time given is generally as a result of time limited physical or mental disintegration and in most cases not necessarily a welcome one.
In some ways death has always been hidden away, it is not a general lively dinner table topic of conversation. In life one might carry such aspiration, imagination, hope and fears; only busy in the activities of survival and life; too active to know that an end will come. Is it enough to know that as: - “humans forget the simple tenet: - they are born, they die, the in between bit is too short to be totally happy and too long to be always miserable!” Yet if there is time for contemplation in life, how can one avoid examining the question; is this all there is? Not to do so in some way denies the quest of a curious spirit.
To get a sense of how much humans avoid a discussion of death consider the angst over whether to have or not have a death penalty. The main argument against the death penalty is that it is:-
An ultimate sanction to serious acts of crime, usually acts of murder, with no chance of correcting a mistake inflicted on an innocent person if one is made.
In a civilised society it is not acceptable to have organised state driven putting too death; as it can be seen as a failure of civilised society as a whole to avow such legal judicial termination that can find no other means of controlling serious acts of crime.
Is it the only way that a crime of such a serious nature can be punished in order to have the offender not able to commit any other such crimes that would otherwise call for completed whole life incarceration?
See 6th Commandment 1.1.06
Humans are born and accept that they are alive in the present as consciousness takes place but apart from being acquainted with death as a secondary condition of life that is to befall others, the nearness of it to one own departure is avoided. It is being denied its rightful place in the normal life process and society is not generally respecting the process of death; that there is a time to die. As the preparation for death is un-discussed and the actual process of dying has become subcontracted, it is as if the imminent nature and likelihood of death can be delayed by pushing the palliative and ceremonial element of death onto others less directly involved and one might say thereby abrogating a balancing cardinal responsibility of being alive.
Although specialism in the organisation of death duties has made it more manageable, the choice of how or when is usually not within ones control. With the application of medical assistance which can delay a departure and the subsequent funeral and disposing of a deceased remains, there are times when the ability to prolong a life is not helpful and simply complicates the passing. Such resistance against dying although understandable may not be one of choice for the departing soul, in which case direct action is needed to intercede and bypass the rectitude of social constraints. Currently intercession could be by the use of legal assistance, i.e. the withdrawing of medical support after protracted consultation, DNR, or assisted suicide which carries some risk for those associated with carrying it out. There is another alternative.
There have in the west been great strides in challenging the variety of diseases that have afflicted wo/man, diseases that have been the cause of early deaths for millions. Deaths caused by poor hygiene and what might be now considered simple affliction that are now curable with modern medication offering an extension of life. With the ability to extend life that has improved over the past 100 years and increasingly the very high dependency of medial intervention, death for many is delayed; this is of particular importance within the young up too and in breeding age. There is a thought that with such intervention the natural health strength of western population is much weaker and will be therefore more susceptible to mutating diseases as predacious culling of the past generation has not taken place in the west over recent time.
With the beginning of gene modification and gene therapy is will be possible to treat many diseases that currently afflict humans but it will come at a cost and not all will be able to afford it. There is little doubt that for the foreseeable future that health care will be under server restraint in cost terms and although many would wish to have access to the best treatments that money can buy; it will not be possible to meet such expectations. Choices will have to be made and that choice will in the first instance be made by the rich, they will have the financial resource to afford costly medical treatment to avoid a presupposed early death. May others will have to seek the best economic option available that will be paid for from the public purse, many will be disappointed with not getting the best and most expensive aid seeing it as deigned right and limiting their life so condemning them to what might be seen as an ‘early’ death.
In all case the problem is that the affluent west, those countries that provide a decent health care system, citizens are increasingly demanding higher expectation from their health care system far beyond its ability to fund and do not wish to face the prospect of dying.
Given the plethora of doom laden films, lack of self control, greed and the growing environmental issue, these impacts and disenchantment or discontent that some people of the west have developed for the ‘good society’ might explain why some things are going of the rails. The sense that there is a degree of dissatisfaction or despondence in the benefits of social integration and the wealth, that has been accumulated compared with 2/3rd of the world population in degrees of poverty; may be a self defeating psychological attribute that seems to yearn for something to happen that both shakes the foundation of the society and provide change. The apparent weakening off the social structures, the raise in selfishness, lack of humanity values, ephemeral moral moderation, obliteration of social niceties and a lack of self discipline etc may give rise to a sense of additional foreboding to compound with the increase in destructive, violent, vulgar games and attitudes that have been pushed onto the media and computer ‘gaming world’. There is a weak consensus that a nihilism type of movement is taking place that is slowly degrading many elements of social structure and that this may be the cause of an eventual catastrophic carnage.
Change does seem to be required, to inject constructive appreciating values back into civil order but there is no reason why such change should be peaceful or initially pain free. With such destructive idealism in the general populace it may be conceivable that such thoughts bring about or even creates destruction. At a time of great stress it is likely that the desire to have change will bring into being the means for a massive shock to the systems that supports a civilisation, to reconstitute it into new foundations driven into existence by something like a maybe war, a pandemic or environment disaster!
If one considers just the recent financial credit crises and its constructed causes, it could bring to mind a proposition by sociologist Émile Durkheim and his idea of ‘anomie’, a term used to describe an emerging state of social deregulation, were the rules and expectations of peoples behaviour towards each other were dissolving. It is an idea that does not relate to an individuals state of mind but to the content of social structures in which individual are not guided by common self controls or morals but pursue selfish ends. His argument was that anomie became prevalent when the adjoining society undergoes change in its economic status, good or bad and particularly were there is major differences between ideology, theory, or values generally perceived as beneficial and what is really attainable in life.
For example a person with anomie may struggle to attain the good benefits of society like a high or decent standard of living commensurate with the ideological common good but would not be able to obtain such benefits lawfully due to structural limitation in the society no matter how hard they worked and may then be corralled into displaying abnormal conduct not conducive to the perceived common good
Given the weight of current bad news in the social system, from the credit crunch, recession, economies under pressure, conflicts, environmental issues and the actual harm caused by these event; may it just be the tipping point that will bring into being a manmade civil anomie or an event such as the, up to now, over played predicted global pandemic?. This is leaving aside the guaranteed affect of the looming energy crunch with non energy holder uniquely exposed. Is it too far fetch to think that with the current propagated financial fiasco which has had such profound effect on the authenticity of the economy of the west that an unexpected collapse of civil structure caused by a the likes of cultural pandemic, will follow?
If such an event were to occur, death would be on a scale not experience in generations and the Angel of death will be extraordinarily busy.
The Angel of Death or Grim Reaper as it is known in western terms or psychopomps by varieties of different names in other cultures is thought of as a creation of fanciful convenience. It has increasingly been associated with all souls night – 31st October Halloween and with the turn of the new years on the 31st December; all of comparatively recent development but its essence probably predates written history and carries with it the conviction of belief as an elemental force and its job is to guide the sprit of the deceased onwards.
Although depicted in a number of forms from animal representation to skeletal being disguised with cloak and the scythe of time, it is treated with some comedy or fear. It may be wrapped in comedy to hide the uncomfortable nature of its meaning and fear because of its unknown quality. Perhaps it should be feared as it hides the unknown but it could also be seen as providing a service whether one believes in an afterlife or not.
The Angel of Death, if asked to do so can help a dying process but it must be done without guile, or selfishness with good intent as in gods will with the willingess of the departing spirit. There is a thought that in asking the Angel of Death to consider departing assistance without the consent of the one afflicted or with ‘hidden’ ulterior motive, could risk rebound repercussions. Although it might be that the Angel of Death is often just taken to be associated with the task of progressing a death, generally on an individual or sometimes a block basis, its tasks is perhaps also to oversee the transition of civilisations. To clear out used up modes of unacceptable social behaviour and ineffective reproduction that does not have the ability to defeat diseases or adapt to new social integrations and it makes way for a new paradigm structures of civilisation.
Giving due attention to the process of dying no matter how it is done should be with a recognition that it is an unavoidable consequence of life and all life exist on death. If one has the choice, how much better to have the Angel of Death on your side at a time of need, to help ease a passage, perhaps when your time has come?
© Renot 2008
3110081507
Labels: Angel, Anomie, Death, Emile Durkhiem
posted by Renot at 8:18 am
1 Comments:
Tks for the observation. Ref made in para 14.
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