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@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:
-- Mellow Milan Hamilton 80 North Center Street Redlands, CA 92373 Phone: (909) 943-1667 email: mellowmilan2@gmail.com <mailto:mellowmilan2@gmail.com>_______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE@lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net