Went to a funeral for a co-worker's wife. I didn't know the deceased at all, but there is still nothing like funeral to make you think of your own mortality. So I'm philoso-funeral-izing and critiquing the whole scene. There were three types of dedication from friends and family.

1) Generalized abstract crap. Anything along the lines of "___ was always quick to laugh," or "___ had a deep love of life." Trite and cliche. I winced every time someone mentioned the deceased's life views or philosophy.

2) Quotes. This has to be the laziest, least creative way to say something. Robert Frost did not write "The Path Less Traveled" specifically for this person. Sure the sentiment is there, but say it in your own words.

3) Anecdotes. A quick story about a specific time and place painted a much clear picture of the deceased. The emotional aspect of the anecdote surfaced a lot easier than the generalized abstract crap and the quotes. A couple of the stories got me all choked up, and I didn't even know the person!

It makes me wonder what I'd want people to say about me. (Note to self: List of songs I want played at my funeral... yeah, it smacks of Hi Fidelity.) It also makes me wonder what I'd say about my mom, dad, or SSDiabolique. Depressing.

R.I.P.
...and so it was written, shenry at 6/07/2002 03:38:00 PM.
...and so it was appended with .