Yesterday morning, at our Men’s Shed, Steve said, ‘Why is there a skull and crossbones on number of the grave stones in St Margaret’s churchyard?’
We thought it might be related to the seafaring history of Lowestoft, with the skull and crossbones symbol associated with pirates.
A number of us looked for an answer on our phones… Apparently it’s simply a reminder of mortality, that life is short, and death’s unpredictable but inevitable.
We considered that further when discussing yesterday’s tragic news of the huge branch that fell from an old tree in Southend, killing a girl of seven and leaving a six-year-old fighting for her life…
Yesterday afternoon I reflected on our local Seagull Theatre’s response to Martyn’s Law – named after Martyn Hett, an Ariana Grande fan, one of the twenty-two victims of the May 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack. ‘Martyn’s Law’ requires venues to be prepared and to keep people safe, aiming to prevent and reduce the harm of terror attacks.
…I read former MP Caroline Ansell writing about the parliamentary vote to decriminalise abortion at any stage: ‘A woman who fraudulently obtains abortion pills…, ends her pregnancy and disposes of the baby’s body in order to cover up an extramarital affair… would commit no crime. A self-administered abortion due to the baby’s sex would also not constitute an offence…’
Yesterday evening, turning out some old papers, I discovered an essay I’d written fifteen years ago, entitled ‘Towards a Christian Ethic of Death’.
In preparation for the assignment I kept a ‘death diary’ that included weekly reflections on current situations, interviews/conversations, scripture passages studied, broader reading and thoughts… I’d talked to friends about their encounters with deaths… road accidents, dementia, cancer, suicide, miscarriage…
My introductory paragraph includes: ‘…I am conscious of my mortality. I need a clearer picture of death and what I think about it. It involves questions about belief, and faith; it also involves questions about the way we live, and the nature and purpose of life…’
I’m still asking those questions.
malcolmsmusings.org 