Death be not proud; just be gone. It's time to live again

One of the books I read in junior high school, among the first "grown up" works of my then-nascent adventure with the written word, was John Gunther's "Death Be Not Proud."

 It was a book that touched my heart and soul, perhaps stirring the first deep questions I had about the meaning of life.

I had first, having always had a love for history, read Gunther's "Berlin Diary," a journal of his work as a foreign correspondent reporting on Germany during Hitler's rise to power and up until his expulsion as World War II erupted. (Note: Worth reading now, when fascism has found its soulmates on both the right and the left extremes; here's a link to the text: https://bit.ly/2L5I30o)

So, I picked up "Death Be Not Proud" next at my school's library.  It was a heart-breaking, heart-warming, intimate memoir of the ultimately fatal struggle of Gunther's teenage son, John, against brain cancer. (Here's a link to the book's movie adaption: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDJvJiDcouU

The book and movie take their titles from one of John Donne's so-called "Holy Sonnets," which in turn were inspired by Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:55: "O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"

Specifically, Gunther chose a passage from Donne's 10th poem in the series. (Click on the hyperlink to read the whole sonnet, and forgive the author's dated spellings . . . you'll figure it out. But in summary, the message is this:

Death be not proud, though some have callèd thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so . . .
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more, death, thou shalt die

 

I was about 14 when I first read those words, quoted in Gunther's book. Now, more than half a century later, I think of them again. Especially this year, 2019, Death has almost been a specter with some indescribable substance for my family. Both my parents gone and buried within three months of each other, and funeral reunions with a dwindling number of older relatives. 

 

So, where am I going with all this? Certainly, my blog this year has been rather somber at times, balanced, I hope, with the hope of faith. So, yes, you are probably as tired of death as I am. Too many goodbyes of late; time for more hellos.

I'm determined to say "hello" more often to Life, Love, and Light in my remaining years, however many or few they may be. I will pray, work out my salvation in actions driven by, I hope, deeper humility toward my God, and a decidedly more Christlike attitude toward others.

The Church Fathers and traditions of my Eastern Orthodox faith provide a rich narrative and examples on how to do the former. The latter will require openness, and suspending (better, eliminating) self-righteous judgment of my fellow humans in order to show them the Love I desire to shine from within.

I'll try to share that journey here. Stay tuned.