Pondering Death

One of my favorite Bob Seger songs, in fact one of my favorite songs, is “Like a Rock.” Many of us see our lives in those words sung mournfully, even wistfully. Old men, like me, think back and with eyes born of memories, see and remember those days where we knew, didn’t we, we were going to live forever. We willingly tackled anything because there was nothing we couldn’t do, no task we couldn’t accomplish. We were like a rock. Here are the words of the first few stanzas of the song:

Stood there boldly, sweatin' in the Sun
Felt like a million, felt like number one
The height of summer, I'd never felt that strong
Like a rock

 I was 18, didn't have a care
Working for peanuts, not a dime to spare
But I was lean and solid everywhere
Like a rock

My hands were steady, my eyes were clear and bright
My walk had purpose, my steps were quick and light
And I held firmly to what I felt was right
Like a rock

 Like a rock, I was strong as I could be
Like a rock, nothin' ever got to me
Like a rock, I was something to see
Like a rock[1]

Now, today, with the weight of years I know, we know, that rushing toward us with unstoppable purpose is the great enemy…Death. Most of us, with hearts beating fearfully, wave our arms as if to ward away those bony, grasping fingers of horror filled lifelessness, as they reach out to take the last breath from our lungs. But Death creeps in, sometimes unexpectedly but more often than not, we know he’s in the room with us. We feel his presence. Whether he’s coming for us, or a loved one doesn’t matter, his wicked figure is visible, if only in the darkest shadows of our minds. We feel the coldness of his presence and feel his fetid breath, like morning fog, enveloping us, filling the room where we or our loved one lie, gasping to fill our lungs.

As Tuan, the white man, and Arsat await Death that is creeping ‘round the shack they are sitting outside of, Joseph Conrad, in his short story “The Lagoon”[2], has Tuan pondering:

“The white man gazed straight before him into the darkness with wide-open eyes. The fear and fascination, the inspiration and the wonder of death — of death near, unavoidable, and unseen, soothed the unrest of his race and stirred the most indistinct, the most intimate of his thoughts.”

Tuan thinks of the fear and fascination, the inspiration and wonder of Death. Are we fascinated by death? We surely fear him, but fascination? In what would we find fascination? Is it that we were “like a rock”. We have spent billions of dollars and millions of hours working feverishly through science, Doctors, Nurses, medicines, surgeries, hospitals, even prayers, and we still have no power to stop this unrelenting enemy, and we are fascinated by it? Is that it?

We used death in places like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing somewhere between 129,000 and 200,000+ in order to stop death. Yet nearly all those who were trying to stop death, those allies of yesteryear, and were alive when the bombs dropped, and the war ended are now dead. The deadly bullets and mortars were stopped but death was not. Perhaps some find this fascinating. I’m not sure if I’m fascinated or not, though I now spend more time pondering death than I did when I was like a rock.

Tuan, the white man, continues to meditate upon the “inspiration and wonder” of death. Perhaps the inspiration comes when one considers the role of death in our lives, the inevitability. The learned call this ontological confrontation. We look at death, knowing we are going to die, and many of us study ways to make our lives meaningful while we have them. Pondering death inspires us to look at life.

Contemplating death should also inspire us to look at eternity and the possibilities of it. Many think that when we die, we cease to exist. I believe differently. Death is not the end of existence and therefore the truly horrific enemy. Death is, for those who choose life in Jesus Christ, a slave that carries us into the presence of the creator of all things. Luke speaks of the story Jesus told about the rich man and Lazarus. We read that poor Lazarus dies and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom, Luke 16:22. Death took away the earthly life of Lazarus, but that was not the end of him. We are also told that the “rich” man died.

What did the rich man think about his life. Perhaps he thought that he was obviously in God’s good graces because he was, after all, very blessed. He was rich. So, eternity? No worries.

But interestingly, life cannot be purchased.

We have been led to believe that sin MUST be paid for. We interpret Romans 6:23 (the wages of sin is death) to mean that payment must be made. What we are being told there is quite different. Death is surely a natural consequence of sin. It is not, however, a punishment that can be assessed

-Josiah Tilton

[1] Songwriters: Bob Seger,  Like A Rock lyrics © Gear Publishing Company Inc, Gear Publishing Co. Inc.

[2]  https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwir9tjGqsKEAxXTG9AFHT1ABgsQFnoECAYQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maritimetraining.in%2Fdocuments%2FThe%2520Lagoon%2520by%2520Joseph%2520Conrad.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3r5UJUPGVmZU3GimDl-jt_&opi=89978449