It wasn’t that long ago that I was reading the biography of Michael Foot by Kenneth O. Morgan. When you read it you’ll note that at the time I was eager to write a review when I finished reading it, but never got round to it. Recently of course there have been tributes on the departure from the land of the living of Mr. Foot, just a few years short of the century innings. I do not want to use this as the chance to write that review. I can say here that it was one of the best biographies I’ve read, which as a result makes it one of the best books I’ve read. The last biography I remember making such an impact was the biography of Peter Sellers by Roger Lewis. There’s something about having an affinity with the subject of the biography that in the right hands can give it a sense of warmth that other biographies would not have and that was definitely the case with these two books.
What I was intrigued by however was how we reflect on deaths. I was writing an assignment recently and whilst writing it I had to assert once more that for all the concerns for terminal illnesses that flood people’s minds, the most terminal of illnesses is life itself – as soon as we are born death is already inevitable. I guess that why those who live to an old age are lauded for having made it for so long.
I was intrigued by the glowing tributes to Foot sometimes assigning to him qualities that patently were not a part of his repertoire. Why does it take someone’s death to get those kind of plaudits? Surely part of the deal of life is that it’s more enjoyable if we are affirmed and encouraged to develop that which is good whilst being warned to avoid that which is wrong. That way the inevitable will be cause for celebration at that which we contributed to in life, rather than that which was stored up for death. Obituaries should be balanced out by life celebrations that rather than looking to ‘dig the dirt’ or start up rivalries, genuinely looks to outline what is good about people and what their life might have to offer as salutary lessons for others to pay heed and avert those places, decisions and situations.
There is the hope that I have that the source of life Himself will soon make His appearance and His clean-up operation will culminate in life everlasting throughout existence. Not just life as we have it presently, but a state of being that will see that which is corruptible put on incorruptibility. That’s not just a outer experience but a condition of the heart that will leave us celebrating the source of life as one who is not about waiting for death to bring out positives, but enjoying being one with his people who spend their lives exulting and rejoicing in that most valued commodity – life itself.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
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