Today is 6 July, and Wladyslaw Szpilman, a famous Polish pianist, died six years ago today. On his death day and birthday, 5 December, I always feel obligated to pay respects to him in some way. This happens to many people that I became "close" to by studing their lives and works.
Does anyone else feel this need? I'm not talking about feeling happiness for George Washington during President's Weekend-- that's entirely different unless one has truly studied his life and felt a connection with him, not just knowing that he was the first president of the US. So, I'm asking, do I stand alone, because it does seem like lonely work sometimes.
2006-07-06 17:42:52 · 16 answers · asked by Mandi 6 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
You pay them the greatest respect by keeping their creative work alive. There are many people to whom I feel a creative attachment, some of whom I never met. I always get a strange feeling of familiarity reading work by Elbert Hubbard, who died in 1915. But by telling people about Elbert's work, and sharing it with them, I am paying respect to him.
2006-07-06 17:49:06 · answer #1 · answered by dimbulb52 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
No man is an island, entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main; if a clod be
washed away by the sea, Europe is the less,
as well as if a promontory were, as well
as if a manor of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in man kind; and
there fore never send to know for whom the
bell tolls; ....it tolls for thee.
----John Donne
2006-07-07 00:55:50 · answer #2 · answered by june_sunrise777 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. I am fascinated by history and I enjoy spending time in cemetaries. Each stone is a life and sadly there is so little knowledge of that person's life to be gleaned from that stark memorial.
As I read their names I want so much to know their story.
I hope someone will someday read my name and wonder what my story was.
2006-07-07 00:49:10 · answer #3 · answered by KERMIT M 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes...
The cemetery where my in-laws are buried has a section with dozens tombstones for children who died very young sometime around 1910. My wife, children and I were so moved by the sight of all those graves that we shared the flowers we had brought for our family members. The kids would run back to us yelling "we found another one! we need more flowers".
2006-07-07 00:58:16 · answer #4 · answered by toohairy4u 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not good at the "death" thing.....don't like to get too personal u see, i study forensics so while his bones may fascinate me or cause of death, i can't say i would go any further. Come on i haven't gotten over my dog yet you think I'm gonna go out of my way to find someone else to paralyze my heart with pain??
2006-07-07 04:07:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not in the way that you do. I have felt that I should pay respects to a person who has died. But it was more for the families sake. (i.e. a friend lost a loved one.)
2006-07-07 00:48:45 · answer #6 · answered by I Care 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I do feel obligated but its only people who I feel connected to. Like people in my family or others I knew. Very rarely others.
2006-07-07 00:49:33 · answer #7 · answered by viv 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think that every time we pull to the side of the road when a funeral in passing we are showing respect for someone unknown
2006-07-07 01:35:31 · answer #8 · answered by yvonne 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, if the deceased is the loved-one of someone I know. or Jesus or someone famous, like Rosa Parks. Otherwise, no.
2006-07-07 00:52:19 · answer #9 · answered by canary 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i feel the need to do that also. Its just a thing a few people have i guess.
2006-07-07 00:46:43 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋