I have learned something important from the death of my friend, Hilary Acton.
I used to have fears of "dying alone".
Whatever that means.
I know from my Yoga that that is just a story,
loaded with attachment and delusion.
Ultimately we all are born alone, and we die alone.
Birth and death are such solitary acts.
The Buddha suggested while fearing death may be "normal",
that it is a source of suffering to fear the inevitable.
So non-attachment practice is indicated for both living and in death.
All that aside-- I have such joy to see the way this community -- this family --
which has (strangely) come together over a terrible problem -- FRACKING --
has grown to adore this gentle, quiet woman,
who while maybe neglecting herself,
and suffering from lack of basic things,
still managed to work earnestly for the greater good
of protecting life, for both this and future generations.
And now I feel I do have a family-- all of you.
While my blood family is mostly gone,
and am not terribly close to remaining cousins (except for just a few),
I feel that all of you, mostly my fractivist friends, are like a close family.
We are happy to be together, support each other, share food together,
we embrace, laugh and smile when we meet,
and we work in service of each other.
So Yoga has taught me that I need not fear death or being "alone".
The passing of my friend Hilary has taught me that I am, in fact,
not alone, but deeply cared for by many people.
So thank you, my friends
1 comment:
thanks, Bill, for your words on life and death and Hilary;
I watched my Dad die for three days about a year and half ago
and it reminded me of birthing with his constant heavy breathing;
I see birth of human babies as not so much as being alone, as struggling to come down into a new , different
world and be created by the mother, father, possibly siblings, medical folks, others
and being taken in and cared for and introduced into a new world.
Death, like watching my Dad, is like a birthing also.
Struggling to enter another, new world where possibly others await to greet you;
whether mother , father, family, friends, others, pets
waiting to take you in and help you and introduce you into another new world...
Blessings to Hilary as she birthed herself into another , new world to explore, enjoy and connect .....
Thanks, to Hilary for her faithful connection with all of us in her quiet ways and I asked her a number of times
to stay over and not have to travel so far and she always told me she had to go home for the dogs....
As you say, Bill, we are not alone and deeply cared for by many people.
Love and hugs, to you Bill, and all in this expanding community of Lovers of the Earth and Life....
Vera Scroggins
Susquehanna County, Pa.
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