Positive Port Alberni

FACING YOUR DEATH! This must be the last thing that we think about. Some of you will wonder why we should be discussing this topic in Food and Filosophy! Others will realize that this is the one fact of which we all are certain..we shall not leave this world alive!
We started this year laughing, and then we spoke of the effect of music in our lives. One of our members is very curious, and would like to know what you think will happen to you after death. The discussion will take place on November 1st, it so happens that I will not be at this meeting for I will be attending All Saints Day Ceremony at Notre Dame Catholic Church. On this day, we are signed with the cross on our forehead, with these words intoned by the priest: REMEMBER, MAN THAT THOU ART DUST AND TO DUST YOU WILL RETURN!. So, I will be demonstrating our belief about life after death at church. It is St. Paul who tells us that if Christ had not died and risen from the grave, then our religion is in vain…At every mass, we say, I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. This is my contribution to the discussion on November 1st at 5:30 p.m.
To all, I invite you to discuss this question at Dolce Vita, and if you would like to experience a service that answers this question dead on, then come to the Catholic Church at 7 p.m. on All Saints Day.
There are a variety of answers to this question. One poet states: Dust thou are and to dust returnest was not spoken of the soul. Then another poet advised his father : Do not go gently into that dark night! Rage, rage!” Yet another poet confidently states: I hope to see my pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar! Then this poet dared to say; One short sleep and we wake eternally, Death, thou shall die!
I put this question to my brother-in-law in Trinidad, and this is his response.. (David Cuffy)
Death. The Final Curtain.
The one inescapable fact of life is death. Yet mankind usually refuses to face it, tiptoeing around the subject, and using several phrases to refer to it. We elect to say that someone has “passed away” or “gone to a better life,” or even “kicked the bucket, or have become victims of “The Grim Reaper.”
If you are like most. You too may be uneasy when it comes to the subject of death. Most likely, it is something that you would rather not think about. However, blocking the thought of death from one’s mind could be an error of judgement.. We all need to come to the understanding that death is contracted the moment we are conceived. And our entire life should be spent in preparation for its coming. I once heard that someone say that death is more universal than life, since everyone dies, but not everyone lives.
My view is that if we choose to suppress thoughts of death, we can never realize our full potential. For it is only when we admit that death is on a non-stop flight coming our way we are motivated to act in the present. Because of death, life has value. When you realize that those you love can be taken from you at any moment, you cherish them all the more. It is death that makes life such a valuable gift.
When we face the reality of death, rather than hide from it, we develop the courage to accomplish anything. After all, if we don’t fear death, what else is there to frighten us? That’s why Paul Tillich writes, “It is man only who is able to face his death consciously, that belongs to his greatness and dignity.” , Also we tend to accept our problems without fear when we realize the only people without difficulties are those who have taken up permanent residence in he cemetery.
The major reason why we fear death is because it is something unknown. Indeed, no one, as far as I know, has come back from the experience to reassure us that there is nothing to fear. In the back of our minds, though, is this belief that we will be aware of our death, just as if we were alive and still able to be influenced by our emotions. But according to Mark Twain: “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
And Christian belief tells us that it is only the body that dies. The outer shell that houses the real identity of the person who lives within—the spiritual being. So the body dies, and spirit or soul lives on, but on a higher plane. The soul, it is believed, continues to live after the physical death of the human body. The soul is not a combination of elements, it is not composed of many atoms, it is one indivisible substance and therefore eternal. It is entirely out of the order of the physical creation. It is immortal! .
So if you believe in life after death, the solution is simple. Lead the good life and you’ll receive your reward. If it turns out that you were wrong, and there is no afterlife, you won’t know of your mistake, so there’s no point in worrying about it. After all, you’ll be already dead.
I am deeply thankful that I am privileged to have a brother-in-law who shares his soul with me. I asked him to share with me and Port Alberni his thoughts on laughter, music, death and giving, and thus far he has not disappointed me. I look forward to his thoughts on Giving. Why should we be givers on this earth? Is giving natural? Is it true that the more we give, the more we have? Are you a giver? And as I state these questions, David has answered it. He gives his thoughts and ideas to us all. There are many forms of giving. Get prepared to discuss this topic on December 6th!
CELEBRATION OF THE WORD ABD ABBEYFIELD ON OCTOBER 27TH AT 6 P.M.
A special thanks to those people who come regularly to these session on the last Wednesdays of the month. The majority are residents of Abbeyfield, and they are very important to those who share their words in songs or verse or prose. Special thanks to Sharon Harper, Mary Ella Newberry, and Pearl Anderson. We hear a lot about physical fitness, but mental fitness is just as important. This is one of the important ways to develop the mind. You are all invited. Come join us in celebrating the WORD!!