Hmm, hadn't thought of this...

My guess: such exposure, so lengthy a period of unremitting daily lies . . . might well shorten the life span of the particularly susceptible (say, those who - like young Anne Frank - once believed that, "basically, people are Good" ??)

Maybe they die of the proverbial 'broken heart' ??

Maybe that could explain why some die faster than others. I mean, several of these people died of cancer, some young, some old. Remarkably though, some of the older ones fought harder, where some of the younger ones succumbed faster. I mean, I understand it's the nature of the cancer, placement, severity, etc. But it's hard to comprehend how two people with lung cancer had such drastically different lifespans... I mean, my cousin survived it for 3 years, and my parent's neighbor died within a month or so. Perhaps it was the will to fight in the face of all you described?

Should any of these horrors be less? more? distressing than the death of someone who happened to be a member of a randomly assembled (group in a church?) Where then does empathy for an individual end and general obsession begin? If these emotional states overlap, a one can wear black indefinitely. (You can make Yourself sick, too. Y'know?)

Yes, that I understand, making yourself sick. I have yet another visitation to attend this afternoon, and my stomach hurts just thinking about it. (sigh).

Try not-to, eh? Read some Shakespeare sonnets..

Get tickets to a ballet; quash all 'practical' head-chatter and Believe for the duration --> in Wonderfulness. Much cheaper and lots more fun than shrink-talk, I wot.

I'm willing to try, Ashton. I listen to my hockey, I do things I enjoy, I listen to music that soothes me...and I try to provide comfort and help to the ill and bereaved and their families.

Sometimes it feels worth it all. When my cousin Fred got lung cancer, I couldn't help much, I mean monetarily and all, like some of the other family members tried to do. But I sent him cards. I sent him a card every few weeks, encouraging him, praying for him, trying to make him smile or even laugh. And towards the end, before he died, he told me those cards were one of the most looked forward to things he focused on during his illness. They uplifted him, they comforted him, and his wife told me after he died, that he had kept them all near him and around him to cheer him when he needed it.

I sent cards to two of the people who just died, also, (albeit not as long, since neither survived more than a couple of months), and one of the first things the widow of one of them told me last night, was he loved the cards I sent.

So I guess I have some good role in all of this...I just sometimes find it hard to see that goodness in face of all the sorrow and grief.

Thanks Ashton. :)

Brenda

P.S. I plan to comment on your Baby Boomer part in another post. ;)