Vortexia's Secret

we have a very strange relationship with death. we fear it and are fascinated by it. some people study it, or the aftermath, others try to treat it, others try to avoid it at all costs. without death, one of my profs wouldn't have his specialty, coroners and morticians wouldn't be here, fewer people would go to the doctor, archaeologists wouldn't have much of anything to study, and many poets would be without a subject about which to write. most of what we know about ancient egypt revolves around death. families used to keep books of the dead where they had what was quite possibly the only photograph ever taken of the relative... it was a picture of the person all fixed up by the mortician before the person was buried. it also turned out to be a valuable find for those attempting to trace their genealogy. nowadays we have the goth culture, cult movies, 6 feet under, and on another note, almost daily reports flowing out about the latest thing that will kill us. too much sugar, artificial sweetener, too much vitamin, too little vitamins, too much food, too little food, too many (sexual) relationships, too few relationships, too urban an area, too rural an area (not enough resources), and the list goes on. and from what i've learned, it appears that those who try to fight death (doctors) and those who deal with the aftermath on a daily basis (morticians) are some of the most fearful of dying on the whole. interestingly, the person i know who is most academically interested with death and has made it his specialty is very well balanced. he doesn't take it too seriously, lives his life how he wants it without being afraid of death or trying to defy it, has a wicked sense of humor, has a sweet and loving wife and 2 well-adjusted intelligent children, is friendly and very much embraces life. although i doubt it is because of his fascination of death, i do think it takes a very rare kind of person to maintain that kind of interest without ruining his current life. it's ideas like this that make me realize that i will always be a sociologist at heart, and may have to continue it at an amateur level.

on another note, i think eric schlosser, author of fast food nation should consider writing a follow up book entitled "snack food nation." i'm sure there are all kinds of dirty secrets about the snack crap we eat. but then, what do i know... i haven't even gotten to read fast food nation yet. it's on my list of books to read, but that's about a mile long.

P.S. Keep them in your prayers.