Every week as I browse through the local papers - I always stop and read the obituaries section. Call it morbid, I find I the most interesting of the news fit to print.
The world is made up of so many interesting “ordinary” people. The obituary is a condensed peek into the life of one specific individual. It highlights those achievements that the person presumably wanted to be remembered for. Sheldon K. Friedlander, a smog scientist who discovered a system of analyzing the chemical make up of smog so that other scientists can trace pollutants in the air. Evelyn Smith Munro, an activist who fought for sharecroppers' rights in one of the first racially integrated labor unions and Aubrey “Tex” Bouck the French Horn player who played for the greats like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
Obviously, the unfortunate part is that these people are dead and many of their stories and achievements have died with them. The obituary is their last statement, which says "I lived, I loved, and I was" - I was part of the human experience and I was a tread in this rich tapestry called existence.
I sometimes walk home rather than take the train (+/- 65 blocks). I pass thousands of people each of those individuals have interesting lives, wonderful stories and fascinating experiences – A treasure trove of humanity only to be unlocked and shared with those close to them or acquaintances when required.
A couple of years ago, my wife spent a month back at home with her family. She took a minidisk recorder and interviewed her 73 year old grandmother. For four days the CD’s burned countless stories all while her grandmother cooked. The result is a priceless library of the history of ones life, intertwined with a narrative of all of the family recipes. These moments are now captured and can be shared with generations to come.
It is taking a moment to know the living – I would encourage anyone to do this.
