OBITUARY #2 : THE CONTINUING OBITUARIES OF HALFORD E. JONES

Born during the DEPRESSION in 1936, HALFORD E. JONES was continually 'depressed' at various points in his life due mainly to his continuing concern(s) over MANKIND as he asked this question, which most people could not answer to his satisfaction and therefore, they all tended to dismiss this particular question he asked: WHY ARE WE HUMAN BEINGS AND NOT DIVINE BEINGS?

While in Stevens High School, after reading a number of 'theosophical' and 'occult' books in the FISKE FREE LIBRARY, he formed with the meager help and sporadic interest of some of his classmates/playmates THE ANCIENT BROTHERHOOD OF TRUTH SEEKERS (ABOTS) and became eventually the only surviving member of this group.

Pursuing a career consisting of minimal paying jobs for many years after his generalized education in  varied schools, from a one-roomer school to a University and some graduate work, interrupted by
a military vacation that brought him further experience in dish-washing, he found the only job he ever loved and did that for around four years, before setting into and settling down.

Various areas of his life have been too well-known for discussion and elaboration here. Occasional trivial revelations about his 'doings', 'comings and goings', and temper tantrums have obscured his actual contributions to the art of minimal existence that so characterized him for many who claimed to have known him or have worked with him in some capacity. Taken together all this data amounts
to demonstrating the unreliability of most witnesses and class historians and others who have made some meager and strenuous efforts to recall his presence  or absence in the world.

Ignoring all the advice of 'those who know' and 'those who did', he pursued a course of unspecified endeavors amid a variety of circumstances in the outskirts of global events and from the sidelines, he made many notes, scribbled on various pieces of paper handy for this task that he had set for himself.

This TASK, of jotting down his thoughts, from the most outlandish and bizarre to the more commonplace and droll comments, became his AIM, and to insure that future generations of people who might well benefit from such jottings and scribbles, he put them no set order, sequence or topic arrangement but simply tossed them into a box or more over the years. He did staple a few and also
used large  clips to hold others. A few suffered raindrops from leaking storage roofs(rooves) in various storage sheds.

In his later years, his actively, fertile brain would activate in the morning hours, anywhere from after midnight to five am or so and mull over topics and subjects, and receive certain 'brain waves' from the storage chambers of that elastic, elusive organ that might have been mistakenly taken for 'revelations' by anyone else who had been on the scene, brain scanning and storming, and privy to his thoughts, which sometimes held completely contradictory concepts, grandiose ideas, lofty ambitions
and magnificent discussions that echoed in the old cerebral halls of his cranium.

Many of his more important thoughts and ideas and ramblings have not been placed on paper for various reasons. One is that there was not available paper around to jot such down or else the pen gave out or he was not quick enough to write them down and they evaporated from his brain or were
unfortunately  interrupted by 'unthinking' and 'intrusive' persons and/or other things that usually do this.

Takers of Tea with or without sugar, milk, or cream, no doubt, are hoping for some way to recover those lost thoughts, ideas, sayings, etc  that failed to find actual written, printed, or literary existence
for posterity. Others think it was most fortunate that mankind did not receive these, exploit them, or know about them, considering it all  'a most narrow escape' !   

OBITUARY #1

After a long career at low-paying jobs and occupations that occasionally took him out of town, HALFORD E. JONES eventually retiring in CLAREMONT,NH, the town that pretends its a city.

THE OBITUARIES OF HALFORD E. JONES

At my age,after reading numerous obituaries in various newspapers to see how much of life has been devoted to trivialities and frivolous pastimes and what,if any accomplishments and tragedies happened in the lives of the deceased,etc., I have decided to compose my obituaries for my amusement and perhaps that of others. Reading the obituaries of others should be 'an obligatory exercise' for those who are trying to 'remember themselves' and also trying to create a 'soul' or who long for immortality and the like......Obituaries are quite vocal about what they do not say in many cases and attempts to picture everyone as: loving, devoted, kind, accomplished, talented, misunderstood, etc. along with a resume of occupations, hobbies, and travels...... Short lived persons are always eye-catching, while old timers and long-livers are at the other end of the spectrum and the tragic news of untimely deaths often affects the emotional centers of others rather than the intellectual ones...as it should be.......but such deaths as tragic as they are, simply do not mean much to the statistical world and we must regard the death of millions, thousands, hundreds as mere numbers as we read of such things.....we cannot really relate, try as we do, with such huge numbers and respond as we really should....... I suggest that aside from reading the obituaries, which can be a celebration of the deceased lives that it is not as morbid as many might think...After all, we do die and we cannot, though we generally do so, ignore our coming death and by remembering that those we know, work with, see, interact with, etc. will die and may die at any time, anywhere, and in any manner....REMEMBERING THIS WILL HELP YOU TO REMEMBER YOURSELF AND ALSO PERHAPS YOUR LIFE AIM, IF YOU HAVE ONE AND YOU SHOULD as that is part of THE WORK....