The Rt Rev Brian Castle, Bishop of Tonbridge, said many people are no longer willing to submit to the “mystery” of death and instead try to control it through assisted suicide.
He said this actually rids them of the opportunity to choose to die when they are “completely ready” with the support of religion or loved ones.
The bishop called on the church to “speak more naturally about death and dying”, by including the topic in sermons and encouraging congregations to write their own funeral services.
[blockquote] In some places the clocks would be stopped and [b]the bees would be told[/b].[/blockquote]
???
It was a practice in rural areas of England by which those who kept bees would inform their charges of the passing of members of their household/community. Why “bees” were the only ones to be informed, I’m afraid I do not know.
Flora Thompson describes the behavior of one such elderly beekeeper in 19th century Oxfordshire in [i]Lark Rise to Candleford[/i].
The custom is also mentioned in an episdoe of Midsomer Murders.
All Christians should keep in mind the 4 last things, Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.
First and foremost, society has forgotten the art of being, well, a society! I was speaking with someone several months ago whose father died unexpectedly and lay dead for 3 days before a meter reader came to the house, noticed a smell, and alerted authorities. She lived several hundred miles away and didn’t think much of it when she had tried to call her father but there was no answer.
And it’s mind-boggling that Jaycee Dugard suffered what she did for as long as she did in a shed in the backyard with neighbors all around. I mean, I’m no Mrs. Kravitz and maybe I’m a bit different but if I notice something amiss at a neighbor’s house, I inquire.
What does this have to do with death? Plenty. We Americans especially are schooled in independence, not being a burden or a bother, and catering to our small, immediate families and maybe a few friends without sparing much thought for others. It surprises me still how just simple, common (to me) courtesies, such as sending a card to someone at special times or offering a meal, are met with effusive appreciation and sometimes incredulity.
We seem to have developed a bunker mentality and some sort of possessiveness and bubble around our immediate loved ones. With that sort of mindset, coupled with the whole notion of not wanting to “be a bother,” it’s no wonder that some people want to arrange their deaths on their own terms.