If he dies, he dies…

Times are always a changin'. Some things just creep up on you until something reminds you of how it used to be. For example, people used to die; but not anymore. We have in fact, given up dying. Nobody belonging to anyone dies these days … they simply "pass away". It is as if we are so afraid of death that the word is being airbrushed from everyday use. Right now we "pass on", "pass away" and no doubt but that Irish people will soon be "crossing over" as well.Jimmy Murphy has "gone to his eternal reward" is fair enough and one I myself might sometimes use. It is soothing and a comfort to those left behind; but folks, Jimmy Murphy has to die first. The bottom line is that whether we "pass on", "pass away", "cross over" or go to our "eternal reward", we are by then as dead as a dodo. This column calls a spade a spade and whatever term you call dying, it is still a job for the spade - unless of course you wish to be cremated, in which case the requirement is also to be dead.Society is askew with smart people struggling to find more user friendly words for everything. Ordinary language is being complicated and it is so refreshing to hear plain speak nowadays, such as Mary O' Sullivan died on a Sunday and was lowered into her grave on the Tuesday.The fear of death is very natural; otherwise self preservation would not be our strongest instinct. All living creatures have this instinct. We humans fear it most because the thought of an immediate family member dying can be more painful than the threat hanging over one's self. The simple fact though is that death is inevitable for all of us and resistance to using the words death or dying is futile. Death begins when the heart stops beating and is then a process rather than an event. The big fear of course for all of us is what will happen to us at that point of no return. It is a human instinct to fear what we cannot see and things we do not know. This has been said to be the complete and total separation of the soul from the body and is the belief of not only Christians, but many other faiths as well. It is a comfort for those of us who believe in an afterlife, or some kind of continuation, although we are never fully convinced that what we believe in is the actual truth. If we did, everybody would want to die I suppose. For now, the word death in itself explains the end of things as we know it.Not all cultures fear death. We once wrote of an Indian tribe, where, when an old person felt that death was nigh, he divided up all his belongings among the family and went off into the forest to be alone and close to nature as he died. Chief Tecumseh (Crouching Tiger) of the Shawnee nation (1768 -1813) gave his verdict on death: "So live life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, and beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or salute of greeting when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home." And they used call them "savage Injuns" in the old Cowboy and Indian films …?!There are numerous recorded accounts of people nearing death who have had what is called "out of body experiences". Usually those who recover tell of floating and looking down on their own body and not wanting to re-enter it. They tell of loved ones ready to embrace them on the other side, the pull they felt towards them and being totally at piece. Anybody who has had this experience always say they will never be afraid to die when it does come. Mind you, these accounts may be somewhat devalued by the fact that those who did drugs claim similar out of body experiences.The missioner was closing the mission with his usual fire and brimstone party piece. To drive home his message, he loudly reminded the parishioners that "every man, woman and child in this parish will die". Much to the priest's annoyance a not-too-smart lad near the back started to laugh. "And what do you down there find so funny?", roared his reverence. "Ah Father, sher I'm not from this parish at all," came the reply.Chances are that a few of you could be around when I am being planted in Killulagh. I intend to delay that day as long as possible - but when it happens it happens and when I'm dead I'm dead.Don't ForgetIn a world where there is death, there should be no time to hate.