I don’t feel qualified enough to write about the miners in Virginia and in any case, so many others are doing so in the blogosphere. But element of the story struck me and has had me thinking about death. Listen, I fully understand that many believe that writing about death is a morbid topic, but it is what we are all meant to do. We are born, we live and we die, it’s a fact. What happens after is up to your own belief system. Ok, so death is the topic. Deal.
The miners wrote about feeling like they were going to sleep and we can therefore assume they died without feeling pain and in the company of others. They may not have been in physical pain, but what about non-physical pain? How many of them may have had thoughts of regret or sadness for the loved ones they were “leaving behind”? We assume that if a death without physical pain is a better death, but who’s to say that all our thoughts and feelings don’t cause equal if not greater pain?
Imagine for a moment, tonight, as you go to sleep that you are one of those miners…how can your mind not want you to “stay awake,” to hang on to this physical life as long as possible; to perhaps, review your life up until now? Conversely, imagine also those who choose to die. How much pain must they be in to have the courage (or cowardice) to end their lives.
I’ve had at least two friends who pondered ending their lives. I know this because by virtue of being their friend I was the silent observer to their pain. Oddly, I’ve lost contact with both, but not by either my or their choice and I’m pretty confident that neither has passed on. It is when there are events such as the collapse of skating rink in Germany, or the miners’ death in Virginia, that both my friends come to mind because no matter how deep their desperation, no matter how strong the pain, they ultimately have a choice of whether to continue to live or not.