Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Tue 01 Sep 2009 08:59:01p, sf told us...
>
>> On Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:26:40 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat 29 Aug 2009 08:34:45a, Jean B. told us...
>>>
>>>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>>>> At what point does the good offset the bad? All three had shining
>>>>> examples of both.
>>>>>
>>>> I have had this thought too. Also, questions re Christianity,
>>>> forgiveness, and redemption.
>>>>
>>> Well, yes, there's that, too. What always bothers me with this sort of
>>> situation, though, is that usually after someone's death all you hear is
>>> praise. To me it's a rather unbalanced view of the person.
>> So, you'd bad mouth a dead person who redeemed himself after a bad
>> start? Most people refrain from talking smack about the dead, even
>> when the dead person went the wrong way at the end of life.
>>
>> I attended a funeral a couple of weeks ago. The person had committed
>> suicide. He was a doctoral candidate who died as a drug addict that
>> had recently robbed a bank. All this built up in the last few years.
>>
>> People usually hold themselves together at a funeral. His mother is
>> very quiet and reserved, never raises her voice... but she sobbed loud
>> and long at the funeral. She was absolutely inconsolable. No matter
>> how bad the person was at some point, there is someone who still loves
>> them so most people don't bad mouth the dead for that reason.
>>
>
> I think it's very subjective, and I would be the last person to bad mouth
> the dead under the circumstances of a funeral. However, when it comes to
> someone of prominence in public life, it sickens me to hear the media spout
> nothing but praise when there is plenty that is anything but praise worthy.
> Praise should be given for the praise worthy acts, but at some point the
> dark side shouldn't be ignored. It's a completely unfair and unbalanced
> appraisal of the person. The damned media skews just about everything.
>
> Speaking of suicide, I have to admit that I'm not against it nor do I
> consider it a sin, though I doubt I would ever choose it for myself. There
> are often reasons that are justifiable to the person who commits such an
> act. As a child of 7 or 8 I remember the husband of the elderly couple who
> were next door neighbors. He was kind, gentle, generous, and loving. He
> had been through a series of serious illnesses, and apparently didn't see a
> better future for himself. He had also apparently given great thought
> about what he was going to do, as he prepared an area in their basement
> that would minimize creating a horrible mess. He also had to assemble a
> very complicated gun that was his chosen menas to an end. I was very
> saddened by his passing, but I didn't blame him for doing something
> unpardonable. He had lived a good, long, productive life. Who was to tell
> him that he *couldn't* carry out his wish?
>
That must have been very hard on his wife. I hope she concurred
with his plan, and it didn't just come as a most-dreadful shock to
her.

--
Jean B.