Living and Dying
Brian's classic quote " Some are in Rotary because they want to die as a Rotarian" brought the house down at Friday's meeting. What Brian was referring to was that the Satellite / Passport club was for those who want to "get involved" or "make a difference" and so if you are one of those Rotarians who are in a Rotary because you want the comfort of knowing that you're passing away to any afterlife in good company, then you're probably not suited to the Alex Satellite Club. They are clearly people of acton with many travelling outside their local area to help other communities.
However, it did set a certain scribe thinking about the heavier side of living and dying.
Anyway, another nationality has an interesting view of living and dying and that's Japan.
In Japan its not unusual that when a child is born, then the baby is taken to a Shinto shrine for a blessing often through important events in childhood will involve a visit to a Shinto shrine for a blessing. Then through life they will celebrate Christmas (there's a KFC tradition there too but thats another story) and then when the child is ready to marry then they may have a Christian type wedding, and then later in life when its time to die then they will convert to Buddhism. In fact Buddhism is almost exclusively attached to funerals and dying.
So thats why in Japan millions of Shinto are born but very few die.
BTW has anybody noticed that there seem to be more ads about funeral insurance on TV?? ..or is it just me?