Things you have never understood!

[prhoshay]

I've never understood, and understand even less now, people who seem to think that no one should ever die. As I see it, it is a natural progression and part of life, and no one has ever gotten out alive of whom I am aware. To some people, I know I may sound callous, but it's called built-in obsolescence...people wear out, like everything usually does. I, honestly, think you go when you are supposed to. Do we always like that people die young, or the circumstances under which they die...of course not...but it happens and that's a part of life.

[MRD]

I've never understood, and understand even less now, people who seem to think that no one should ever die. As I see it, it is a natural progression and part of life, and no one has ever gotten out alive of whom I am aware. To some people, I know I may sound callous, but it's called built-in obsolescence...people wear out, like everything usually does. I, honestly, think you go when you are supposed to. Do we always like that people die young, or the circumstances under which they die...of course not...but it happens and that's a part of life.

It's interesting you mention this as I was in a discussion about this recently. With all the advancements in medicine and surgery, etc., people don't die like they used too. My grandmother was born in 1906 and the leading cause of death for women was childbirth. Infant mortality was very high as well. No antibiotics, not many surgeries or treatments for cancer, heart problems etc., also lead to more deaths. Families were larger too. So what we were discussing is that someone like my grandmother had seen death a lot more often at an earlier age than someone today will see. And that we felt that people 100 years ago were more accepting of it then they are today because it was a larger part of life than we have today. Maybe that's why people have a harder time of it now than they did then when a friend or loved one dies because it doesn't happen as often like it did 100 years ago.

MRD, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall! I don't mean to laugh(well, really I do), but is this woman one of importance (in her mind) in the area? I have known several people like that.

I have no idea, but I got the feeling that her importance is very self important. The area she was talking about where here ancestors plantation was is about an hour's drive from here, so maybe she is important there, but she did state she lives here now. Who knows.
I do know that there are a lot of people in the South that are still very proud of their heritage. Heck, I know I am. But my family never owned slaves either. And honestly, I can't understand the thinking that if your family was once rich and prominant 160 years ago, why on earth that would make you think you are something special today. I know that sounds contradictory. I am proud of my heritage, but i certainly don't think I am anything special because of it. It's just cool to know that my ancestors made a difference in some areas of time and place.

Part of my father's family was fairly prominant and well off back before the stock market crash of 1929. But by the time I became an adult, I certainly didn't think we were anything special because of something that had happened 30-50 years BEFORE I was born. People just need to get over themselves.

Which leads to something else I don't understand. Why some people think that they are so darn important and deserve special recognition for basically nothing. LIke this case. She did nothing, her great many times over grandfather did, so why try to hang that glory (which I don't see it as glory honestly) on yourself when you've done nothing to earn it.