Sridevi

 

...

Pandemic Times

Yes - I did state that 

"no single soul" 

is all that exclusively special 

to warrant a spotlight 

on any sort of 

necrological site ~ 

but unusual times make for 

unusual -exceptional- cases... 

R.I.P. Dr. Lorna Breen 

Not since the 1918 Spanish Flu 

has the world been under the grip 

of a disease that paralyzes it 

in its whole - economically, 

socially and also, truth be told, 

it is stopped dead in its tracks 

(expression carefully chosen here) 

on its own self-destructive path 

ecologically and planetary-wise... 

Amidst all that has happened 

-numerous deaths in Italia, Spain again, 

China where it all began this time 

and the USofA, its new epicenter- 

a tragedy among the heroes of these events; 

the first responders - doctors, nurses, 

healthcare workers... 

The Essentials, shall we call them? 

A tragedy... by self-destruction. 

What were the odds, however, 

of finding another Lorna Breen 

singing the most appropriate of songs 

for this dire circumstance 

on the very same YouTube, now:   

And let us hope that there will not be 

any other similar tragedies - 

not namesake Dr. Lorna Lopez 

not anybody else 

among these first responders/

true heroes out there... 

those who deal with all the epidemics 

that afflict all of humanity - on a daily basis: 

For this is not the first pandemic 

we will be facing - 

meaning it will not be the last one either.

Reflections On Separation...

When the time comes - suddenly and without warning; or even with warning but all too soon - and it is always too soon, no matter what the circumstances are... When that loved one departs and leaves you behind - lest it is the other way around... What, then?

For those who depart - there is but discovery and bliss; diminished by sorrow, certainly at first - for they did not want to leave like that, abandon their loved ones so soon... so brutally, sometimes.  But then they realize that it is all as it should be - that there is Order in the Chaos. And they let themselves go with it - going with the cosmic flow that will take them back where the life energy that animates them originated from.

For there is no death to energy - you know that, right? Science, even that breed that aims to disprove and discredit other fields of knowledge, cannot deny this: energy displaces itself, but never dissipates entirely - not even at the time of death. Rigor Mortis strickens the corpse as its energy leaves - but it is leaving the vessel, for parts unknown. It is not dissolving into thin air - no.

And so freed from the mortal coil, the energy - the spirit, the soul; call it what you will - it rises and reaches out for the Great Beyond - for the Cosmos Beckons!

But what of those who remain? Remaining "alive" in the sense that we know - here, in the material world.  What of those, then - what of us?

We blog, to make sense of it? We meditate, we read, we study, we talk about it - talking helps the grieving process and the healing one as well...

Deaths come in threes, they say: back-to-back-to-back we lost trios recently - way too soon.

"Avicii" dies so young, at 28 --- days later, it's Bob Dorough who follows through, at 94. In-between the two extremes, the music world lost Yvonne Staples - does anyone even remember her --- hmm? Ultimately, it does not even matter indeed: these three and many others like them are all off to play beautiful music --- in the afterlife! We imagine and presume, of course...

In the "pillars and foundations of our little worlds" category, Barbara Bush passed away, leaving the Bush Clan in disarray - she was certifiably the glue that held it all together, the true leader of that family - a fact that was confirmed by the priest presiding at the ceremony during his eulogy for her...

On the very same day, another funeral for another lady who held her family together through it all --- my favorite aunt, Tia Margarida. Her obituary, written by my dearest cousin, states all that - and more. She -my aunt- was inestimable and her loss is huge for the entire clan as well; alas, the time had come. The hour had been set --- so it is...

Bruno Sammartino completed this trifecta for the Reaper here --- he was, aside from the Hogans and the Flairs of his business, the consummate wrestling professional that held the McMahon Circus together during the couple of decades that preceded the "big TV era" which paved the way for pay-per-view extravaganza, the huge money there was to be made there and all that...

And, ironically enough, I was just wondering, the other day, howcome his was one of the very few action figures that I had left from that era, still on display in my study, somehow...

... along with Bruno, I have Bobby --- a figure to the likeness of one 

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, 

who also passed away not so long ago... 

Third one left from the collection: Terry Funk. 

He still lives. He was left behind... 

Does he wonder why...?  What do you think?

I really doubt that the new employees of that circus there were truly all teary-eyed like that at the sad announcement of Mr. Sammartino's passing --- I wouldn't really know, of course, as I no longer follow their product, but I highly doubt the veracity of this image right here:

Barbara Bush and Tia Margarida passed away roughly at the same age - but Queen Elizabeth II remains to celebrate her 92nd birthday - and her big royal anniversary is coming up too, celebrated by a new stamp from her, ah, other subjects - in Canada!  (She is still the Queen of Canada - don't you forget it. Canada Post does not...)

Never mind the fact that they appear to be off by one year --- 

the crux of the question here is... when will it end? 

The reign... the title... the life? 

The British have prepared for this for decades - 

as they saw Portugal slay their royals, 

others come and go, accessing their respective crowns 

in various European countries with monarchy still, 

just like the soon-to-be fragmented again 

"United Kingdom" --- as nothing is forever. 

Prince Charles was supposed to inherit the throne 

in the Queen's living years... 

That will not happen now - it was never meant to be. 

What will it be when the time comes... there? 

Each separation brings back the specter of death into our lives --- the daily routine becomes that much more difficult to face as it all takes a semblance of futility all of a sudden; as in "why even bother, we're not going to be around to enjoy the fruits of our efforts anyway!"

We fail to see any sense in any of it, especially when we are in the thick of things --- going through all the emotions, that roller-coaster ride of upheavals, torment and decisions to be hastily made, sometimes - with the consequences looming already right ahead of you...

But life is worth the living; worth the trials and tribulations all on their own merit --- as they are adventures setting us up for the bigger one - out there!  Whether you don't believe in the afterlife or do, it matters not; see, your life energy will move on, whether you think it does or does not. You will be forced to embark upon this "Great Beyond Adventure" whether you believe or do not! And that is the most beautiful part of it all: whether you leave with many points unresolved or not, all will be said and dealt with --- in due time. And your time being set - both here as beyond - as the life energy that animates you is part of a Greater Whole which regulates the entire known and unknown Universe... you cannot escape it. And, as the author of a not-so famous book said, choosing that as the tile of his book... You Cannot Die. 

You do not believe me? That's okay. 

Angels will tell you --- once you cross over, 

into their territory...!

Until then, one of them 

has the exact same message for you 

as she always does...

Those who have died - are not dead. 

And we are alive today - cannot die --- ever! 

Whether it is a good thing 

or a bad one for us 

remains to be seen; 

it is different 

for each and every one of us... 

See you 

in the afterlife!

+++

Wrestling's Passed Away

Owen Hart is one of the most recent completely avoidable deaths in the "sport"...




Eddie Guerrero is still so vividly remembered...
(Though not as tragic as Chris Benoit - yes, that is Benoit wearing the Guerrero t-shirt that read "I'm Your Papi", not-so-subtly stealing from the Red Sox' Big Papi, David Ortiz...)




Art Barr was another little-known wrestler who died to little fanfare (same year as his good buddy Eddie Guerrero.)
On the clip above, he gets transformed into "Beetlejuice", a "wrestler to remember", by expert in stylization and characterization, Rowdy Roddy Piper...
Art Barr's career as Beetlejuice was as short-lived as Louie Spicolli's, The Wall's or Crash Holly's... Art Barr died of a drug overdose.




Wrestling is a very hazardous "sport" -
people get really hurt...

People really die.

And to see Vince McMahon fake his own death most recently
(on the June 11th 2007 edition of RAW)
and then give himself "memorial editions" of SMACKDOWN and ECW
similar to those that Eddie Guerrero, Owen Hart and others had...
well... It invalidates all the preceding ones
It cheapens the eulogies
It disrespects those wrestlers who really died
and their loved ones
who were foolish enough to be "touched"
by McMahon's honoring their deceased...

I think, in particular, of Vickie Guerrero
Eddie's widow
whose loss is so recent
and who was asked
no - make that mandatorily required
to be a part of the bogus memorial for McMahon


A whole new low
for the man who has sunk low on so many occasions before...





And to add to the bad taste this all leaves in the purist's
as in the traditionalist's mouth
ANOTHER DEATH IN WRESTLING OCCURRED
during this burgeoning silliest of all silly storylines
That of SENSATIONAL (aka Sensuous aka Sister) SHERRI MARTEL
And what does the WWE WEBMASTER do?
Why, he does as his boss tells him to do, of course!
He puts the very real sad news near the bottom of the page...
And keeps on top the bogus memorial announcement
(which will warrant a second 3-hour edition of RAW in 3 weeks)
and the appointment of a bogus Federal investigator
portrayed by some third-rate actor
(The only good things about this silly plotline really:
it gives work to some starving, unsuspecting, poor actor
and we get to see NO MORE of Vinnie Mac's hogging the spotlight
away from his so-called "superstars"...)

REST IN PEACE, SHERRI (1959-2007)




Maybe the Chris-Nancy-Daniel Benoit tragedy taught McMahon his lesson.

Some people never learn though...