Death is commonplace here. There have been two or more
funerals in this community every week that I’ve been here. People’s response to
death is something along the lines of, “it’s just a part of life.”
I have only been to six funerals in my entire life. It
doesn’t matter where you live, you can’t escape death but it is a much less
noticeable part of life in Canada—especially for the average person my age.
“Loss is
what gives love meaning, what makes time precious. Without contrast, there is
no color.” – Jedidiah Jenkins
I’ve been sheltered from death for most of my life but I
don’t want to live like death isn’t real. Shit happens. It helps that I believe
in eternity, but that doesn’t mean that our present lives don’t end. Belief in
eternity doesn’t fully remove the impact of death. I want to live with eternal
perspective and I want that perspective to remind me to love more deeply.
Witnessing the way people live here I have learned that a
true understanding of death inspires love, not fear or anger. I attended a burial today and it was one of the most joyful experiences of my life. There was dancing like nothing I've ever seen before. There were times when I literally couldn't wipe the smile off my face.
I think Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to think about
the frailness of our lives. Today is the perfect day to start loving the people
around you more deeply.
If you’re reading this… I love you! Feel free to enjoy
one of those single’s blizzard’s from DQ on my behalf. I’m pretty sad that I’m
missing out on what sounds like the best ice cream creation ever. Since there’s
no DQ here I’ll just be cherishing the memory of the last ice cream cone I had
before leaving Canada… it was a good one. I’m sorry for ending this semi-serious
blog with a paragraph about ice cream. It just sounds so good right now. Guess
I’ll go eat some beans. You might have ice cream but Canadian beans don’t got
nothing on Ugandan beans and American akahunga doesn’t even exist. You don’t
even know what you’re missing out on… just be lucky you don't have to wash it down with obushera (aka local beer). Trust me, obushera is nothing like a good Canadian local beer. It's made of fermented sorghum flour and when you finish every sip there is grit in your mouth.
[One a more serious note: There’s a lot to think about
with regards to death and human rights in places like Uganda. Maybe I’ll put a
little more thought into a blog on this topic in the future.]
Some more of
what has been inspiring me lately:
“Love
the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation
with pay. Want more
of
everything ready-made. Be afraid
to
know your neighbors and to die.
And
you will have a window in your head.
Not
even your future will be a mystery
any
more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and
shut away in a little drawer.
When
they want you to buy something
they
will call you. When they want you
to
die for profit they will let you know.
So,
friends, every day do something
that
won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love
the world. Work for nothing.
Take
all that you have and be poor.
Love
someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce
the government and embrace
the
flag. Hope to live in that free
republic
for which it stands.
Give
your approval to all you cannot
understand.
Praise ignorance, for what man
has
not encountered he has not destroyed.
Ask
the questions that have no answers.
Invest
in the millennium. Plant sequoias.
Say
that your main crop is the forest
that
you did not plant,
that
you will not live to harvest.
Say
that the leaves are harvested
when
they have rotted into the mold.
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Call
that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put
your faith in the two inches of humus
that
will build under the trees
every
thousand years.
Listen
to carrion - put your ear
close,
and hear the faint chattering
of
the songs that are to come.
Expect
the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter
is immeasurable. Be joyful
though
you have considered all the facts.
So
long as women do not go cheap
for
power, please women more than men.
Ask
yourself: Will this satisfy
a
woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will
this disturb the sleep
of
a woman near to giving birth?
Go
with your love to the fields.
Lie
easy in the shade. Rest your head
in
her lap. Swear allegiance
to
what is nighest your thoughts.
As
soon as the generals and the politicos
can
predict the motions of your mind,
lose
it. Leave it as a sign
to
mark the false trail, the way
you
didn’t go. Be like the fox
who
makes more tracks than necessary,
some
in the wrong direction.
Practice
resurrection.”
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