December 19th, 2009

Wrote this down this morning during my bus ride to work.




The bus route goes past a cemetery.

Behind me a young mother explains to her son what a cemetery is and what it's for. She describes headstones and flowers and people being put in the ground. She tells her son that funerals are a sad time.

He asks why.

She says it is because it's sad when people die, because we loved them and won't get to see them anymore.

The kid is quiet for a moment, then "I love everybody in the whole world, even astronauts. Will I be sad when everybody dies?"

meow85 said:

awww
[Edited 12/20/09 2:25am]

what's sad is that i reckon most children feel that way but somehow we all grow up and become indifferent about it.

whistle said:

I can't even comprehend the energy it would take to grieve every death that happened. Even only every death I was aware of.

But think, this kid says he loves the whole world and expects to miss everyone when they're gone. Most adults don't think on those terms. I wonder how long that lasts?

I love children's thought patters and mind sets

Usually ~ we adults could/should learn a lot from them and strive to be more like them

Mach said:

Mach said:

Couldn't help but laugh a little at "even astronauts" though.

meow85 said:

I have learned some of my lifes most profound lessons from the mouths of the children that surround my life and also watching the adults reactions to them

children by far are more incredible

We spoke of death with my nephews very early on.

When they were 6 they went through a strange phase where they were fascinated by it. By the finality of it, as well as speculating on what happens next. The live in a quasi-atheist/Buddhist environment were one set of grandparents is ultra Christian.

Death is a lot for a child to wrap his head around. Especially, if their parents are like my sister and brother-in-law---not inclined to paint the issue as a black-or-white "You're definitely going to heaven" type of thing, but more as a "I don't know." type of thing.

Imago said:

The problem is death is an abstract concept. Absence of life is hard to define. Even more so when there aren't firm beliefs on the matter like where we go, or if we have souls. Even adults can have a hard time conceptualizing death.

meow85 said:

I still feel that way. But to miss and grieve everyone who dies would mean spending your life doing nothing else. Every minute, someone somewhere dies.
When a flood kills thousands, those numbers represent lives, relationships, human potential ended. Do I 'miss' them? No. I didn't know them like that.

But I think it lasts until growing up we realize the enormity of the burden of 'missing' every single human loss.

meow85 said:

Not those of us who have killed before.

My kids had my Aunt and their Daycare provider pass away from cancer in less than 4 months time. We all got a healthy dose of Death a little early.

Then about a year and a half later my friend Jeremy passed as well.

Death has always been a solemn subject for us but at least my kids understand the permanence of it.

add to this all the celebrity deaths this year (especially MJ) and they have a solid understanding of what goes down.

meow85 said:

yeah that's cute

SUPRMAN said:

Could be.

It always seemed odd to me how most people can hear about atrocities and huge losses of life on the news and not bat an eye, but hear about one puppy getting hit by a truck and the tears start flowing. Not that we shouldn't be sad for the puppy, but in perspective it does seem a bit skewed.

Imago said:

You don't want to get caught, do you?

meow85 said:

he loves everybody in the whole world, even astronauts.

funny how kids cant fully conceptualize death and their own mortality. That's among the many things that make them so special...and grown up so sad.