William Jennings Bryan probably explained death and its purpose best when he said, “Because of the fall- death has come to be the universal heritage; it may claim its victims in infancy or youth, in the period of life’s prime, or its summons may be deferred until the snows of age have gathered upon the hoary head; it may befall as the result of an accident or disease, by violence, or as we say, through natural causes; but come it must.”
As an 85 year old man, I have to admit death, my own death, is on my mind from time to time. I have been a little handicapped in my latter years with a heart that functions at approximately 25% of the normal output. My arteries are partially plugged and I have had many stents placed in them to keep blood flowing. I have also had a heart valve replaced. People might ask, ‘What is keeping you going?‘ If it were actually up to me, and not nature, I would say because I have a sweetheart that I don’t want to leave a widow any sooner than I have to. I, too, have loving children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren whom I enjoy and would like to be around as much as I can. I also happen to enjoy the beauty of this wonderful earth and the other good people that populate it. Besides the above reasons for hanging on, I enjoy writing, writing my thoughts, putting words together that, hopefully, will be of interest to those who read them. There is bound to be a little wisdom, something of value, found on these pages that may help them live a better and happier life. Our bodies were created for the purpose of housing an eternal spirit. The body may be fragile, but ‘Oh, That spirit is tough’, even eternal or everlasting. Our spirits were formed from intelligent matter and had no beginning; neither will it have an end. The essence of man, the thinking, the activating portion of him, the core of his personality, has always been and always will be. It can neither be created nor destroyed. In a sense, we live to die and die to live. One of my favorite TV programs is the science channel. Astronomers study planets in our great Milky Way Galaxy, home of planet earth, and they are always trying to find out whether any of those planets, besides ours, can sustain life. After God created (formed) the earth, “God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, He proclaimed it as good, it was very good.” And Emil saw everything that his God had made and he also said, “It is good, very good!”
I have lived a long and, I believe, a productive life and no-one should mourn my passing when it happens. I was fortunate to have met and married my eternal companion and we have been blessed with a loving family. All else has been trimming on our family tree, frosting on our cake, an extra hug before I go. I have been blessed beyond measure, pressed down and compacted.
I was sitting in front of our building the other morning, as I often do, soaking in a few warm rays of sun. While sitting there, I noticed a little tiny bug, about three feet away, barely big enough for me to see. It (he/she?) was making its way across a large slab of cement just in front of me. As I watched it make its way over the roughness of the cement. I wondered what it had on its mind, what was its destination. I wondered, ‘What is its purpose in the universal scheme of things? Is there an ecological purpose for this little bug’s existence.” Perhaps it is the one who will sustain other small or larger bugs. All kinds of things started flooding my mind. Does this little bug have any enemies and if so, how does it defend itself? Coming slowly back to the bugs current circumstance, I realized that it was going to take that little bug a half to one hour to get across that 12 foot wide slab of rough cement and people were starting to leave the building to go to work. I wondered if the little bug would make it to safety on the other side, or would it be a victim of someone’s shoe. Then I smiled as I realized that my mind was off on another of my strange mental adventures.
Watching and contemplating how others of God’s creatures make their way over a rough cement slab does remind us that ‘life’, is indeed a struggle, as well as, fragile. I agree with Rabbi Bunam when he said to his wife, “Why dost thou weep? All my life has been given me merely that I may learn to die.” Yes! Mortal life is fragile, but if we put our ear to the rail every once in a while, we are not going to be run over by a train. But, neither do I expect to see a chariot of fire swoop down out of heaven to scoop me up, as was faithful Elijah. But when I do go, I will go quietly, I will not be kicking and screaming all the way out, as a parent taking an unruly child out of Sacrament meeting.