Inevitably, when someone famous dies, a certain percentage of the population bemoans the attention the deceased receives. Other people, not famous people, died today, too, they say. Why arent we mourning them, showing them attention, collectively calling for changes based on their lives, their deaths? The simple truth is that we dont know them. We cant visualize them or their individual, particular lives or deaths. For good or ill, rightly or wrongly, the famous among us are famous because they have shared pieces of themselves in the public arena. We know them because they have had the unique privilege and option of giving us bits of themselves; theyve made us laugh, cry, or cringe, and thereby have touched our lives in ways that folks living more ordinary, less visible lives cant always. Rather than complain that the famous receive too much of our attention, I wish we could acknowledge their unique affect on our lives, while at the same time seeing the attention they receive as a signal boost for all who suffer and die in a similar way. We are all just walking each other home after all, and the stars that burst and fall from the sky can be a reminder to reach out to those walking nearer to us. When we mourn, we mourn for all, including ourselves. Namaste.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 03:53:06 +0000
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