Johnny Cash and John Ritter have died. Cash was old and frail so nothing shocking, especially since his wife recently passed. The Ritter death is shocking. He was only 54. This brings to the forefront how precious life really is, how short life can be and what is really important in the occupation of our time.
Roy: These tragedies usually happen in "threes". I predict the next "John" to die will be Pope John Paul. J*hn: Or can we count the recent daths of John Frankenheimer, John Entwistle, John Agar, John Roseboro, Johnny Unitas, Johnny Griffith, John Morrow (Iron Monkey), John Mellor (aka Joe Strummer), Little Johnny Taylor, John Van Horn, or John Hope (Weather Channel).
"You aren't going to name your son 'John', are you? Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is named 'John'!" -- Samuel Goldwyn
Are you speaking about John Agar, the move actor? I had no idea he had even been still alive. Saw him in a movie about boxing years ago. He was really good.
Perhaps this is a wake up call. Life is too precious to squander on trivial matters. I thank God that my family is in good health and I knock on wood (hitting myself on the head) that nothing has happened so far. Yet I sometimes wonder if any of these "Johns" knew that their lives would be short lived?
Teller was long a controversial figure and most newsworthy. But his death has brought less remark than that of John Ritter. It's a puzzlement.
I agree that it's depressing how little media attention scientists get, but Edward was 95 and all of his best-known work happened 50 years ago; Ritter was 54 and smack in the middle of his second wind. No surprise to me that Ritter got more coverage, especially since he was more of a media celebrity anyway. Peace,
The same thing happened with Princess Di and Mother Teresa. Even though a week separated the deaths, Mother Teresa was hardly mentioned. Di was a kind, giving and compassionate person but Mother Teresa was in the trenches. She ranks right up there with St. Francis of Assissi.
Ooh. Ooh. Hot button pushed. I developed very strong feelings about the Mother Teresa when she accepted her honorary degree (and a large cash payment) from the hideously evil Duvaliers of Haiti, and made an impassioned speech about how wonderful they were. See, for instance, "Mother Inferior: The life of Mother Teresa is one of hypocrisy. She has been portrayed as a selfless humanitarian, but the truth is some ways away from that." http://www.subrevolt.com/articles/rf_mother.html
I am saddened to read this. I am hoping much of the article is tabloid trash. I guess when we really get down to it every hero we have, every person we admire, every soul that touches us, is probably blemished. I guess if one were to dig deep enough we would discover horrible details in the lives of the Buddha, Nanak, St. Francis, Ghandi, etc. Look at all the horrible revelations about Martin Luther King, Jr. I find comfort in all this in one of his quotes: "There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us." Perhaps Mother Teresa believed the ends justified the means. Getting monies from crooks and tyrants to feed babies and provide medicines was okay with her. Dying children care less from where assistance comes. Maybe she wasn't intellectually honest in praising the Duvaliers but intellectual honesty never fed dying babies. I once served a Friends congregation and one of the members was bitter about the American Friends Service Committe's having provided food and medicine to North Vietnamese children during the Viet Nam War. I told her sick and dying children could care less about politics. They want to be feed and made well.
