Hmmmm...

Encountering anything like this directly is very disturbing on many levels, as is seeing a sudden death occur...I saw someone killed (by all appearances) in a car wreck once when I was a kid, and it really shook me up for quite a while...a big feeling of emptiness in the stomach.

Death is something people would rather just not have to ever deal with or know about...which is one reason they buy meat at the supermarket, neatly packaged, instead of slaughtering the animals themselves.

We live in this weird antiseptic world, pretending it will never end, wrapping our sandwiches in plastic, watching our chattering TVs or our flickering computers...while the darkness waits just outside the window...

It is very sad that so many people are isolated now, and have no tribe, no extended family, just electronic placebos to keep them company.

Where are the cooking fires people once gathered around? "It's in the microwave."

As for dying alone...well, in some ways that might not be so bad. Animals go off alone somewhere to die, and they do it by choice. I can see where I might do the same, if I thought it was time.

Only thing is, you never are alone. Not in truth. But I can't prove that to anyone, and I wouldn't presume to. For those who want human company in such a time, I sure hope it's there when you need it.

- LH