A Fisherman's Tale

Taking a break from more serious subjects to do something fun is always a good thing. Humanity Beat went to Elgin, Illinois to gather new material and ran across a fun opportunity to speak with a local fisherman named, Shaw.


Shaw is a fun, intelligent, fellow, who actually initiated contact with a simple, neighborly, wave and a smile while waiting for a bite on his line on the shores of the Fox River. Humanity Beat spoke with Shaw before moving forward in the process of gathering new material.

At the end of the time in Elgin, Shaw was still at his spot when the opportunity for this interview happened. Here's the video:



Thank you Shaw! It was wonderful meeting you and maybe next time, you'll get that big catch! Some people might wonder what this has to do with the mission of Humanity Beat. The answer to that can be had by reading the Humanity Beat introduction. This interview is a prime example that it IS still possible to get out into the world and find the good in people, and therefore, find the good that is left in the world.


This interview with Shaw is part of documenting the life that matters in the context of the happiness and joys of life around us. If anyone remembers the classic 80s film, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", you'll remember his famous line "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it!" Of course, life isn't a movie and can never be compared to such a thing, but that line has a truth to it. We have to take the time to actually get out and enjoy the bigger world around us and be part of it.


This video captures something that is so important, and is too often taken for granted. Did you see it? Shaw displayed happiness and laughter. His big catch may have gotten away in the past, but he gained a moment of laughter from it. He displayed something else, did you notice that? It was a spirit of kindness, and a natural inclination to invite people around him to be part of his enjoyment of nature. He mentions this in the video when he talks about  enjoying his time by the water and the weather being a bit cooler than it was. Shaw gets the entire point of what it means to enjoy nature while also enjoying the company of people around him who help make up the experience of enjoying the better part of human nature.

Mortal Remembrance - The Death That Happens and The Death That Matters

The photo above is the face of Thomas Lynch. Mr. Lynch is an award winning writer and poet; he is also an experienced Funeral Director who wrote a book called "The Undertaking: Stories From The Dismal Trade". Lynch worked with the documentary team at Frontline by their request to create what is possibly the most meaningful work on the topic of how we humans process death, dying, and dealing with our dead. Mortal Remembrance is inspired by this, and other works by Lynch. 

In the Frontline documentary, "The Undertaking", Mr. Lynch made a VERY powerful and profound statement; he said "Funerals are the way we close the gap between the death that happens and the death that matters". Mortal Remembrance talks about exactly that topic....the death that happens and the death that matters. Thomas Lynch was unavailable for comment or consultation on this documentary per his office personnel.

Mortal Remembrance picks up where "The Undertaking" left off, examining how we process death, how we deal with the death that happens, how we make that loved one's life matter, and learning how to live beyond the loss when we lose someone we love. In this way, we are able to live our own lives as whole people because we become empowered to improve our state of mental and spiritual health when we work through the death that happens and make that death matter. 

Humanity Beat interviewed two Licensed Clinical Social Workers from The Center For Grief Recovery and Therapeutic Services - Institute For Creativity and Development.

 

David Fireman, MSW, LCSW

Kathryn Conway - "KC", MSW, LCSW

Learn about David Fireman and KC by visiting their official website. David and KC had the following words about the Mortal Remembrance program: 

"I'm really glad you are working on something like this. It sounds like a very important piece that will help many people, and it's really needed." - David Fireman

KC had this to say: "I'm glad you came to do this project with us, it was great to talk about something that people have such a hard time dealing with today. That people matter is axiomatic. How do we help people feel as though they matter?  -We can love them. In W.H. Auden's poem "September 1, 1939", he says that "we must love one another or die".  We'll die anyway but loving one another matters. The death that matters, matters because of love"

Mortal Remembrance also includes a segment on environmentally friendly disposition of remains. This feature comes from a Radio Netherlands Worldwide production called "Earthbeat".

Mortal Remembrance can be heard or downloaded HERE. Special thanks to Marnie Chesterton at Earthbeat for her support of this project! Parents, PLEASE guide your children through this program.