Saturday Overnight Open Thread - December 28, 2024 [TRex]

The ONT 2024 Roll Call of Remembrance

Aside from the divine, mortality is a common thread that links anything living. Yet it is continually elusive. The unknown is ultimately unknowable and that struggle is part of the human condition.

A core tenant of most religious traditions is wrestling with the concept of mortality and what comes next. Ancient Egyptians believed that even after death, the spirit would live on because the life force was a separate entity that could detach itself from the body. This life force was named the Ka, and was one part of the immortal soul. The Book of the Dead was a collection of ancient Egyptian ceremonies, spells and magic formulas intended to protect and aid the deceased in their afterlife.

Elaborate tombs and decorations show an enormous dedication of time, effort, and resource over centuries. Without making a judgement about the merits of the belief system, the mere fact that it occupied so much of what we know about ancient Egypt is notable.

The philosophical and religious underpinnings of mortality are abstract. The reality is much sharper. An absence leaves a real hole. Finality hits hard. We miss the people who are important to us. Missing someone is not complicated or abstract. We just miss them.

Everyone we cross paths with leaves a mark. The mark can be positive or negative. The mark can be quick or long-lasting. The mark can be big or small. We do not live in a bubble. Those with whom we crossed paths with played some part in forming the people we are and will become. We carry a little bit of them with us and when they pass away, they take a little bit of us with them.

Life is not neat and tidy. We miss some because we love deeply. We regret some because of the chaos and sadness they wreaked on those around them. We have many questions about why and how.

Mortality is not neat and tidy either. Death can be sudden and unexpected. In other cases, it is a relief from a journey that challenged our temporal bodies. Military conflict typically leaves a trail of unknown circumstances and unidentified remains.

Faith can play a big part in how we process mortality. It bridges the known and unknown. It provides comfort and answers. It shows us that we are not alone. It reminds us that we are not divine but still made in Gods image.

As the end of the calendar year approaches, we look back and remember those among the Horde and those adjacent to the Horde who are no longer among the living. Prayers for all who mourn and who continue to come to terms with loss. We also pray for those who are left to pick up the emotional and temporal pieces.

We also offer prayers of strength and peace for those confronting their own mortality. May God grant you continual comfort and strength and may you feel the love and support from your Horde family. Please continue to let the Horde know if anything can be done to help.

We remember the caregivers who are angels sent to comfort and support others. They rarely sign up for the role but do it anyway. There is often nobody to say thank you or provide relief when you are the last line of defense. Please continue to let the Horde know if anything can be done to help.

The Meuse Argonne American Cemetery in France is the largest in Europe. An inscription on an interior chapel wall reads: “This memorial has been erected by the United States of America as a sacred rendezvous of a grateful people with its immortal dead.” This little corner of the interweb may not have the same gravity as that hallowed ground, but we can honor a similar sentiment and find our own way to connect with those are immortal in our hearts because we have not forgotten them.

Here endeth the message.

Those among the Horde and those Horde Adjacent who died in calendar 2024 are listed below. Apologies for any that were missed or any errors but please comment to remedy. Thanks much to MisHum and Annie’s Stew for maintaining The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival Posts.

This is still an open thread so opine as you wish.

These people are not Horde or Horde adjacent, but departed in 2024.

Written correspondence can be sent to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Disco Doof will resume usual ONT service tomorrow.

posted by Open Blogger at 09:55 PM

| Access Comments