[Oe List ...] On the Subject of Death and Dying

[Michael May]

In this moment, it may be good to rehearse what Gene Marshall, Jack Gilles, and Bruce Williams had to say on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYRUNXdgdW0

Kindest regards,

Michael

From: Terry Bergdall <bergdall2 at gmail.com>
Date: Saturday, August 23, 2025 at 3:11 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
Cc: OE Listserve <oe at wedgeblade.net>, Milan Hamilton <mellowmilan2 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] On the Subject of Death and Dying

Thanks, Milan. These are powerful reminders of what we all know but often fail to remember. I appreciate you bring it again to our attention. Terry

On Aug 23, 2025, at 12:34, Milan Hamilton via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:

We watched a podcast last weekend by our "climate mentor" Nate Hagens interviewing Stephen Jenkinson, author of Die Wise: A manifesto for Sanity and Soul (2015), who quipped during the conversation "Yeah, everybody knows that somebody else is dying." The discussion centered on our culture's baked in way of (not) dealing seriously with death and grief as deep experience (different from loss of someone or something and moving on). This of course brought up our history in the Order: Ecumenical. Then to be smacked up against THREE of US making that transition in mystery in the same week! Will our grieving be able to honor them? Will our grieving for the earth and her beings be up to the task. Or will we just be sorry for the loss of them and move on? I offer the following poem from our common library on the subject of death and dying, and one I wrote in response to the quote I mentioned.

dying is fine)but Death<https://allpoetry.com/dying-is-fine)but-Death>
e. e. cummings, 9written 1931, published 19350

dying is fine)but Death

?o
baby
i

wouldn't like

Death if Death
were
good:for

when(instead of stopping to think)you

begin to feel of it,dying
's miraculous
why?be

cause dying is

perfectly natural;perfectly
putting
it mildly lively(but

Death

is strictly
scientific
& artificial &

evil & legal)

we thank thee
god
almighty for dying
(forgive us,o life!the sin of Death

“I’m not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” – Woody Allen
Everybody Knows
“Everybody knows that everybody else is dying.”  – Stephen Jenkinson
Written after listening to Leonard Cohen’s 1988 release he wrote with Sharon Robinson
Everybody knows
                                    That everybody else is dying
Everybody knows
                                    That the planet is frying
Everybody knows
                                    That everybody else ain’t trying
Everybody knows
                                    The grim reaper is smiling
Everybody knows
                                    That there is no buy-in
Everybody knows
                                    That everybody else is lying
Everybody knows
                                    That somebody’s crying
Everybody knows
                                    There’s no use in sighing
Everybody knows
                                    That EVERY-BODY ELSE is dying
Everybody knows
                                    Everybody knows
Everybody knows
                                    Everybody knows
Everybody knows
                                    Everybody knows . . .
Milan Hamilton

August 19, 2025

Here is a link to the poem put to music and published on my YouTube channel as part of my offering to our grieving and honoring process:
https://youtu.be/mbW87WBsObY
--
Mellow Milan Hamilton
80 North Center Street
Redlands, CA 92373
Phone: (909) 943-1667
email: mellowmilan2 at gmail.com<mailto:mellowmilan2 at gmail.com>
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