Cancer Blog #15
By Brian Zimmerman
Begun on July 31, 2021
Email: dyingman1@yahoo.com
My Dying Words
Entry #15
December 9, 2021
Roman 14:9: “For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord of the dead and of the living.”
Surprised by Death
As I mentioned before (Entry #2), I was surprised- shocked might be a better term- to learn that I had a terminal diagnosis, and, again, how surprised I was to realize that I was surprised! And, as I’ve said before, I don’t think I’m alone in this reaction- our whole culture is death aversive. We are all quite stunned to find out we are mortal. In my home health days, it was a rare person who was not speechless to discover that they were dying.
As the quote I gave at the beginning of this entry implies, the Christian faith is one that should prepare us for death in a way that cultures won’t. This experience has been documented by many people over many centuries among many different peoples. I just finished reading David Zeisberger’s book “History of Northern American Indians”, a book about his experiences as a Moravian (i.e., a Brethren) missionary among North American Indians in the late 18th century. By that time the Indians had had contact with Europeans for some time, but that contact’s effects on their culture was still being resisted by them. Zeisberger relates that though Indians were generally a brave people, unafraid of pain, for instance, even in torture (which they practiced regularly), they were still generally terrified of death itself. And, I think that most of us still are, despite the fact that we live in a civilization that is far advanced in technology, science, and just about any other measure you can think of beyond theirs. But, the Christian religion is built on the foundation of the belief that there has been a conquest of death: “He Himself likewise partook of the same [flesh and blood] that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” (Hebrews 2:14-15) Christians of all people should have no fear of death. To the extent that we do, there may be a lack in our faith that we have been unaware of. Perhaps meditation on the Hebrews passage would be helpful for those who still have that fear.
As our culture becomes more post-Christian-dare I say anti-Christian?-, we see more of the fear that the Indians experienced 250 years ago- a fear of death itself. What happens when we die? Again, Christianity claims that there is one who has the answer, one who has returned from the grave and, in addition, will give that power to others as well. It is the ultimate question- was that claim true or not? I have been a Christian for almost 50 years and can now say that that question is more important for you than any other you will ever have to answer. We can avoid answering that question for many years in a culture like ours where people generally die out of sight, enabling us to delete the thought of death, but it doesn’t change the fact of death’s inevitability. It is an event we will all experience eventually, whether soon or late in our lives. But, how we will face it is what is most important. Most of us are unprepared in any fashion, including even making a will or preparing for own funeral and burial, which most of would agree are wise things to do. I speak as one who had failed in that regard as well and so, being given a terminal diagnosis but also given treatment so I could extend my life, I have been granted the opportunity to do those things I should have already completed. I’m almost finished most of those preparations- making a will, arranging my funeral details, getting the finances in order, etc. But, it was something I should have done at least by the time when I was 50 years old, not when I’m almost 70 years old. In our culture, however, most of us at that age (of 50) are so busy with every day cares that large issues get delayed, even obscured. It’s the problem of the “tyranny of the immediate”, as I’ve heard it called. To me now, I see it as a dangerously risky habit. It matters not if the world goes out with a bang or a whimper; what matters is how you go out. My personal heresy is to believe that all the hysteria surrounding COVID-19 (and, maybe even climate change) is just another manifestation of this submerged fear of death in one form or another.
Next entry will be posted on Christmas Eve and so will be a special Christmas Entry entitled, “Christmas and Death.”