Thursday, March 30, 2017

day no. 14,038: seasonal allegories

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance
 
We should cry at funerals and dance at weddings. There is no reason to put some "fun" into funerals. They are different seasons as separate as the green of Spring and the orange of Autumn. Funerals aren't fun and it is dishonest to pretend that they should be. They shouldn't be. They aren't a celebration. The time to celebrate and reflect upon a life well-lived is important, but that is not a funeral. If you remove the obvious onramp to mourn, you won't find yourself spontaneously arranging one later. However, if you mourn and grieve and weep at the funeral, you will find yourself spontaneously arranging times to look back and laugh and celebrate the one whose loss you mourned. Don't bypass the cold night of winter. Conversely, we should not bemoan weddings. If you don't like them, don't go. Keep your Debbie Downer Sunday best in your drawer and save the happy couple your feigned attempts at festivity.

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