"Jean B." > wrote in message
...
> sf wrote:
>> 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.
>>
> That's true.
>

Yes. And then there's the hope that if what comes around goes around (and it
does) people will do you (and your loved ones) the same kindness when you
die. It's just not a time to be acting like an asshole. The time to act like
an asshole is when they're living.