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....