Taboo and Buying The Farm Part 2

Halloween nears, so I'll say 'Boo!' Oops! Sorry if I scared you half to death. Maybe this will cause Sheila (of Shiela's Caramel Covered ants, LTD.) to say ta ta, but I only need one ta for this article. Ta + boo = Taboo! A taboo of course is something you don't talk about. Various cultures have various taboo. In Thailand it is insulting to pat a child on the top of his/her head. In Japan, you never stick your chopsticks in rice and leave them there. In the USA, you never show Janet Jackson's left breast on TV during a football game. There are a lot of taboo. Some taboo are inclusive to a culture, such as the Arab and Jewish aversion to pork, and some are religious, such as many Hindu factions that hold the cow sacred and it would be unthinkable to slaughter a cow, or have a steak with all the fixin's for dinner. I know this might cause Norma to have a cow and turn down a free vacation to India. Of course it's okay to say 'Holy Cow!' in Chicago, if you are a Chicago Cubs fan. I'm not sure about some cultural or religious taboo in some countries, but if I do visit a foreign country, I will certainly try to find out about taboo before my visit. To do otherwise is to lack common sense. I have thought about visiting South Africa, but I'm still unsure, from Fred Hose's romantic stories, whether or not it is taboo to dance there unless it is done around a tree? What if I go to Australia and am offered a Vegemite sandwich? If I say, 'No thanks', will this be an insult and cause me to be banned from the Dame Edna Everage festival, which is about the only reason most people travel to Down Under.

There are, as mentioned, cultural and religious taboo, but there are also social and personal taboo. The general rule of thumb is, 'No matter what you say or do, you have a 99% chance of offending someone.' Who in their right mind who not put 'eh' after every sentence when in Canada? Would anyone dare play a Dixie Chicks song at a NASCAR race? Would any news organization claim to be 'Fair and Balanced' and then be sickenly partisan? Would any radio host rant against drug use, then have his housekeeper buy drugs for him illegally? Heaven forbid! Would any politician make promises with no intent to keep his/her word? Unthinkable!. Would any president claim to be compassionate and then only be compassionate to the rich and to giant corporations? How likely is that? These things used to be social taboo in the USA, but values do change when money and single issue topics cause a person's mind to become narrow. It seems odd that hate has never been taboo, but the words of those who preach peace, love and understanding are often treated as taboo. There, however, is one subject that seems universally taboo and that is talk of death.

Death is something people rarely talk about. They will gladly talk about after you die, but to seriously talk about death is taboo. Whenever the subject of death comes up, it is almost always modified to a third person, statistical, or a futuristic topic. The topic scares people to death. This has always mystified me, especially among those claiming strong religious belief. Christians (I am a Christian) claim their soul is saved by belief in Christ and that they are going to heaven. If you are sure you're going to heaven, what is there to fear? Mormons claim they will populate new worlds after death. What is there about death to fear, if you sincerely believe this? I think suicide bombers are sick and disgusting, but these people are taught that will live in paradise surrounded by a bevy of virgins. When I first heard this, I started imagining their heavenly paradise. All the virgins are standing around, but every time they make a move, the M.C. Hammer song 'You Can't Touch This' starts playing and thwarts their purpose. Almost all religions have some sort of path to salvation and a depiction of an afterlife. If all religions are right, then Heaven is going to be rife with discrimination, except for the Buddhists and some Hindu. The Christian Bible gives some description of a Heaven in Revelations, but in the rest of the Bible it is described basically as a wondrous place beyond the imagination. I'm quite certain there is an afterlife and also quite certain I will die someday. Am I frightened? Yes and maybe. Something doesn't add up and I can't put my finger on it. I have lots of thoughts on the subject, but those are just suppositions.

In my family, most men die early. By early, I mean around 60 years old. I will soon be 55, so if my family history is any guage, I will be pushing up daisies (not dandelions) in 2012 or 2013. Of course, if the Mayan calendar is right, I won't make it to 2013, since the world will end December 23, 2012. It is very possible I could die today, tomorrow, or sometime before I turn 60. I believe my life span is totally in God's hands. My dad, my uncle and both of my grandfathers had heart attacks between the ages of 59~61. My great grandfather on my dad's side lived until 92 and I believe the grandfather on mom's side died at age 88. My dad, my uncles and my grandfathers all took medicines for their heart conditions. I saw what these medicines did to my father and I swore I'd never take them. I have high blood pressure (185/90) and I have a umbilical hernia. I also have osteoporosis in my legs and bad breath because I eat lots of garlic and onions. My dad and other relatives were meat and potato eaters and ate lots of fried foods. I don't eat much meat and avoid fried foods. My last echo test showed no blockage, but my EKG test had sirens going off, which made me think I had won something for being the millionth customer. I'm a walking talking health time bomb and I know it. My doctor told me my blood pressure would go down, if I lost weight. My weight has been 265 pounds continuously for five years. I exercise and watch my diet, but nothing seems to work. I fear Sea World will contact me to be their new whale.

A lot of us on Gather are getting long in the tooth. I know I look more and more like a woodchuck daily. If, I were to suddenly buy the farm (one without dandelions or goldenrods), there would be no way of you knowing I no longer cost post articles on Gather. You'd say, 'What happened to Bill?' and not realize I was wearing a black suit. For this reason, I am going to leave instructions with my wife to let my Gather friends know, if I can no longer get online. No, I have no plans or hopes to die soon, but I know there is a possibility. I think I owe it to my Gather friends to know, if this happens. I don't know how you feel about this. I can only speak for myself. However, I do sincerely wish you all good health, relief from pains, peace, happiness and a long life.