Thus reflecting, I opened the lychgate of Bouldersby Churchyard and entered. I have a strong liking for churchyards. They are quiet and restful places where one can meditate with satisfaction on the superior advantages of being alive.
R. Austin Freeman- The Surprising Experiences of Mr. Shuttlebury Cobb (1927)
It’s an odd business though, being alive. There is no alternative experience to act as a contrast to being alive, nobody we can ask for their experience of not being alive. Apart from various implausible notions of an afterlife of course, but they don’t help folk who have to deal with the world as it is.
During our recent holiday, we strolled past a churchyard every day. Quiet it was, as churchyards should be, with lichen-covered gravestones, many barely legible and ancient yew trees here and there. Peaceful yes, but Freeman was right about the superior advantages of being alive.
Although presumably there is no BBC in the afterlife, no climate change, no scam emails, no mobile phone updates, no having to drive up the M5 after an enjoyable holiday…
No comments:
Post a Comment