Zombies, Vampires, and Things That Come Back to Life — Negation [of ... afterlife traditions] combined the ancient religious hostility to necromancy, the modern secular insistence on scientific measurement and the ethical imperative to focus on our responsibilities here and now. Sadly, the rationalistic approach has left us mostly blind to our own denial, with diminished capacities for acceptance of inherent mysteries. Popular culture fills the void with a relentless onslaught of imaginary fates worse than death. The creative powers of fear and fantasy far outstrip our ethical here-and-now efforts to visit the sick, honor the dead, console the bereaved, and communicate our own final wishes to those we love. Here is my position on zombies,” I told Adam. “I would like a tiny fraction of all the money, time, and resources spent on zombies and vampires and ‘the undead’ to be spent on coming to terms with real death and what it means for our lives. Adam nodded, and the dinner table conversation turned to other topics. I was content to have planted a seed of possibility for future cultivation.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:35:34 +0000
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