Experiments With Hope - Episode 52: Tragedy and Meaning

NOTE: This episode was recorded on July 9th, 2019 and moved from YouTube on January 23rd, 2021.

We rarely think about finding meaning in tragedy. Until tragedy hits. This week, it did. A very close family member of ours died of a heart attack at 35. It was totally unexpected news. So, in today's podcast, I'm talking about how we find meaning in tragedy. My personal experience has shown me that death is not the end. But, for those who survive us, it often is. At least for a while. Dave Mustaine, one of my favorite artists once said...

"Moving on is a simple thing. What it leaves behind is hard. You know the sleeping, feel no more pain, and the living are scarred." (A Tout Le Monde)

But, can there be meaning in tragedy? Or is it just another reason to believe that God either doesn't care, or doesn't exist? Regardless of your worldview, no one can doubt that our physical bodies are mortal. We have limited time to make an impact in the world and the people in it. In my opinion, tragedy keeps this fresh in our minds. It gives us a sense of urgency about how we live our lives and how we treat others.

But, is this really necessary? Some would say it's not. But in my experience, people who say that haven't learned much about human nature. Who can reasonably argue that many of us live our lives as if we have all the time in the world to truly LIVE our lives?

We put off our dreams because we think we'll have the time to pursue them later.

We don't say what needs to be said to someone we love, because we assume there will be time.

We don't take as much care of our physical health as we should, because we assume that horrible illness will "never happen to us."

Many of us live our lives as if we had more time than we actually do. So, while I think there are many opportunities for finding meaning in tragedy, one option is to find our own reasons for living our authentic lives. When we mourn someone, when we remember them, and even when we say goodbye, we do this not for the sake of the deceased, but for the sake of those of us who are still living.

All this makes death as much an affair of the living as it is an affair of the deceased. So maybe the wisest thing we can do in response to death and tragedy is to start living.

C
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