"The two things that keep me from the worst of self-pity are that everyone's done it so that ordinary people are as brave as I could ever be or as less brave as I could ever be.
The second thing that really matters to me is that in my time, which is mostly the 20th century, people have died horribly, billions of people have died horribly, in Auschwitz, in Darfur, or dying of starvation or dying multiply raped in the Congo or dying horribly like that.
I think look how comfortably I am dying, I have friends and family, I am in this wonderful country, I have money, there is nothing much wrong with me except dying.
When I think of how privileged I am. I had two brothers who died of drink and they died miserably and under- privileged and here I am as usual the lucky one in the family."
Think on that, on your sunny, breezy, glorious Memorial Day.
4 comments:
I didn't know she'd died. I'm so sad.
Now that is quitting life with style! This should speak to each of us lucky ones when we read of earthquake deaths in China and cyclone deaths in Burma (sorry, I still call it that.)
Thank you for sharing this.
Oh, but I'm still so sad at the loss of Nuala O'Faolain. That interview was heartrending to listen to. Thanks for sharing some of it here.
I did not know she was even ill. I love that book. The world has lost a good one.
Post a Comment