"I don't know what asshole said /
'It's better to have loved and lost...' /
It's not that I don't agree with him /
I just don't know if he knew how right he was..."
Not everyone believes in an "afterlife." For those of us in the throes of de/reconstruction, the reductive constructs of "heaven" and "hell" are the very sorts of things which might fall out of view for us entirely. In place of the easy comfort and utter terror those constructs once provided, we are left with something else: wonder. And along with wonder, we feel the full brunt of actual loss without distraction – without the certainty of afterlife that once kept us focused on then and there rather than what is different in the here and now.
No, not everyone believes in an afterlife... but to some degree, everyone believes in immortality. Death is not the end. Some part of us lives on – held in the particles and electricity of our loved ones' memories. We carry those we lose in the impressions they made, and every life leaves its mark. In some sense, so long as any of us are left, none of us is ever really gone. Love's memory is long. Call it "spirit," or call it a return to the cosmic glue of the universe, but something of our consciousness remains.
Matter transfers, energy shifts... and yet nothing is ever lost.
But that doesn't mean comfort comes easy. Tragedy is hardest on those left behind to remain in its wake. Sickness, death, loss... It is what it is. And even though all of these things affect every one of us, they never stop feeling alien. They never stop feeling like they've intruded on what should have been. We are sentimental, idealistic and romantic creatures of community. Our connections might sever, but they always remember the connection which used to be.
"...Now it's my turn to be brave /
And to believe the things that are so hard to believe /
That there is meaning to our days /
And that I will once again see your face."
OUR EIGHTH EPISODE DANCES WITH THE THEMES AND IDEAS OF 'THE BRAVER ONE (FOR JOANNA)' – THE EIGHTH TRACK ON DEREK WEBB'S NEW ALBUM, 'FINGERS CROSSED.'
THE SONG ITSELF ALSO PROVIDES THE ENTIRE MUSICAL AND SONIC BACKDROP TO ANY PHONE CALLS AND CORRESPONDENCE WE ARE FEATURING THIS WEEK.
ABOUT SEASON ONE:
Derek Webb has described his new album, Fingers Crossed, as 'a tale of two divorces.' Our first season of The Airing of Grief Podcast dives into the album track-by-track, with each song providing the themes and musical backdrop for an accompanying episode. Whether you're new to Derek's music or a longtime fan, the topics discussed and the stories of our guests should prove themselves to be a compelling journey for any listener. Wherever you might find yourself on issues of faith or spirituality, there is room at the table for all of these voices to be heard and celebrated. Raw, real, and authentic, The Airing of Grief strives to be a safe place to strip away the pretense and really listen to the heart.
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