My mother has always spoken quite casually of her own death. When I was about 12 she said, “I don’t care what you do with my body. When I die, you can just put me in the trash can and drag me out to the curb.” Honestly, I have always found her attitude bold, courageous, and realistic. She is unafraid of death, and more skillful at counseling the grieving than most people.
Solomon says it is wise to face death: there is wisdom to be gained.
“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting, since death is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart. Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure” Ecclesiastes 7:1-4.
Pleasure and laughter are wonderful; we love them. The Bible says “laughter doeth good like a medicine” Proverbs 17:22. But death can also do you good, because it forces you to realize what things in your life are petty and unimportant, and to have wise goals and wise behavior.
Every time you attend a funeral, you gain wisdom.
We are all headed toward death, and ought to be brave and face it. Don’t be afraid to think about it or discuss it—don’t be superstitious. The Bible actually says that when your heart or mind is “in the house of mourning,” you will gain wisdom. You SHOULD “take it to heart,” because death is the finish line. If you are wise, you will not hide from death or try to escape it, or to escape news about the deaths of others.
Finally, ALWAYS GO TO FUNERALS. It is the number-one sign of a true friend, and a powerful way to comfort the grieving. It is an exercise in both courage (facing death) and sacrifice (you changed your plans). Have courage and integrity and GO!
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