On Death: Only the Good Die Young...Everyone Else Dies Later

The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.  ~Mark Twain

The idea is to die young as late as possible.  ~Ashley Montagu

The saying that "only the good die young", contrasts with my hopes in dying of senescence.  Senescence is a rather easy way to die - nothing like being burned alive in a fire, eaten by a shark, or struck by lightning.  

World death rates: 151 people die every second.  You breathe in, you breathe out.  Another 151 dead.  150,000 people die every single day

Obituaries are seen in the paper, usually at the end, after all of the headline news, stocks, sports, etc.  Death is not an uplifting or popular topic that people wish to address first thing when they look at a paper, so editors make sure to put it near the back.  I've looked over obituaries and thought how people are able to have their lives condensed into two or three short paragraphs: work, family, favorite activities enjoyed during their lifetime.  After death, they may be remembered for a while, but as is the natural course of things, they are then forgotten (unless they have achieved "miracle status" such as Moses, Deborah, or Jesus).  Specific countries have their heroes too, but how many people in Zimbabwe or Brazil remember or know anything about George Washington?  If I were to die right now at age 21, would my obituary contain as many details and illustrate to others that I have lived as full of a life as someone who lives until the age of 100?  The thought hardly seems possible, yet I think of the travels I have been on, hobbies, my family members, schooling, trials, and friendships and believe that my life so far couldn't be condensed into a book, let alone a short paragraph.  And if it were, what would I want it to say about myself?  That I lived a full life even though I died at such a young age?  That I missed out on the great things in life to come?  

How families deal with the death of a family member.


World Causes of Death
                                                               Deaths in millions            % of deaths
Ischaemic heart disease                                      7.25              12.8%
Stroke and other cerebrovascular disease      6.15                10.8%
Lower respiratory infections                               3.46                6.1%
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease              3.28                5.8%
Diarrhoeal diseases                                              2.46                4.3%
HIV/AIDS                                                              1.78                  3.1%
Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers                           1.39                2.4%
Tuberculosis                                                              1.34                2.4%
Diabetes mellitus                                                      1.26                  2.2%
Road traffic accidents                                              1.21                2.1%
Source:  http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/index.html

Juan Ponce de Leon's search for the "Fountain of Youth" led him to no such discovery, but the idea of everlasting youth still draws many.  Botox and face lifts are prevalent in our American culture as we try to maintain the youthful look of our 20's and stave off the "look" of death for as long as possible.  But that only leads me to the question...

What if we never died? Often, a discussion of faith and death coincide.  Once you die, where do you go?  Into a pine box 6 feet deep in the ground, where your dead corpse will lie only to be eaten by worms?  Perhaps you will be among those you go to the streets "paved in gold" that the ever hopeful and optimistic Christian holds as their final place of glory.