Tension and stress in most all American’s lives have been high since September 11, having
most people feeling like a rubber band about to reach its limit. It doesn’t help anyone’s
mental sharpness, or nerves, when television news repeats day after day, hour after hour,
the number of anthrax cases, sites of suspected anthrax attacks, and what you can do to
prepare. It certainly doesn’t help, either, to have the FBI issue a stern warning that
“credible threats" against unidentified targets have been received.
One thing that we, as Americans and members of the human race must do, in a time such as
this, is to remember to live. I read in a book many years ago, the title of which I can no
longer remember, that “The question is not if there is life after death, but
whether there was life before death." That’s a deep and profound statement in 17
words, and one which has stuck with me for many years. If I remember correctly, I read
that while in junior high school, and one that’s been the catalyst for many of the things
I’ve done in life. On the other hand, however, is a cute book titled, They Never Said
It - A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Authorities. The author’s
purpose, it seems, is a perversion to point out phony lines never uttered, whether by
actors in a movie or people in real life. For instance, it’s noted that Humphrey Bogart,
in Casablanca, never uttered those infamous words “Play it again, Sam," and that
famed newspaperman Horace Greeley never said, “Go west, young man." The book also notes
that little Georgie Washington never said to his father, “I cannot tell a
lie." Rather, a well-intentioned minister, Parson Weems, made up that whopper of a tale.
Why do I mention those simple examples? Well, to drive home a point. There’s a quotation
that most everyone is familiar with, and goes, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you
die." That quote is often attributed, incorrectly, to the Greek philosopher
Epicurus, or that the quote sums up the Epicurean philosophy. There’s only one problem: Epicurus never
said it. In fact, these words come by combining several different quotes from the Bible, I
found many years ago during some study. In Ecclesiastes 8:15 it reads: “A man hath no
better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and be merry," and then over in
Isaiah 22:13 we find: “Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die." Pretty good
ideas, both, except for the dying tomorrow part in the Isaiah reference.
I found while preparing this column that many people are so stress that we are forgetting
what really matters in life. We are forgetting the things that are important. Instead of
living for the next news break, we should be hugging those we love. Forget about arguing
over the National ID Card discussions, and focus on loving one another. When was the last
time you took the people you love aside, out of town, and said, “Hey, I love you?" When
was the last time you did something special for those you love? When was the last time you
looked around and found something happy in life? To be able to claim that you have a life,
live a life, and when you die, to claim that you actually lived a full and rewarding life,
you must first find the stuff of which life is made. As Ben Franklin said, “Does thou love
life? Then do not squander time; for that’s the stuff life is made of."
Looking for examples of living life in the post-September 11 world isn’t too terribly
hard, but can be a little painstaking, at least on Usenet. Over on alt.med.ems, I found
Jim Witteveen, an apparent emergency rescue technician, said in a posting in the thread “A
little sunshine in this crazy world" that he and his partner were able to save the life of
a young Canadian lady who was having a severe allergic reaction to eating some sort of
nut.
“We … arrived to find her turning blue," Jim related to the newsgroup. After administering
medication and a quick ride to the local emergency room, he found that the lady was up,
walking around and hour later. He related that the “family [was] so over
come[sic] with
gratitude for my partner and myself the[y] could barely speak. GOD bless her. GOD bless
all of us and GOD bless America!"
Over on alt.culture.us.1970s, Kelly, in the thread “America on Alert," said that she’s
kept her television turned off for more than a week, as she’s tired of “hearing about
something new to frighten me everyday." She said that fear “has struck close to my home. I
live in NYC. I have been avoiding taking the subways when possible. Spending more money
than I can afford on the express busses. I fully understand why some people aren’t doing
what they would like to do because of that fear."
Kelly, thinking along the same line of reasoning that I am thinking, said in her posting
that “things may get worse before they get better, but they will get better. We all have
to believe that. Take comfort in those you care about. Don’t make the mistake of lashing
out at them just because you are frustrated by things out of your control. That is
something I am very guilty of doing."
Continuing, Kelly said that “it is the simple things that matter now. Not just now, they
have always been what matters most. Go to the zoo, smile at the gorillas. Sit on a park
bench with someone, talk for hours just because you enjoy their company. Sing songs, make
each other laugh. The best things in life don’t cost much at all. It is just taking the
effort to realize they are right there."
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"Threats
Abound, But What Happened to Life?"
