How Are They Supposed To Rest?
Since I am allowed to just rant about whatever I want in this blog, I would like to take issue with three words that really, really bother me:
Rest In Power.
When someone dies, this is often posted on the web next to an obituary. From what I can gather, this is supposed to be a term of honor, something that sends the deceased into a place among the angels with an extra gold star on the halo.
But when I hear it, the words reflect some kind of anger and, to me, the term does nothing to elevate the person who has died. In fact, I think: What a load of hooey.
Everyone gets one life. Then, at the end of it, we finally get to rest. This world is over and we get to move on to whatever comes next. We finally get to leave the Human Condition. It’s probably the only thing good about death: some form of rest is practically guaranteed. If there’s nothing after this life, at least there’s no more human angst. And if there is an afterlife, even if Heaven isn’t the correct term, it has to be a more stress-free existence than the life we’ve completed.
No matter what happens next, it’s just got to be peaceful. Even if we’re reincarnated and have to go through that, there is probably a bit of time between death and the next life. So: Rest In Peace. It fits. It’s suitable. It gives the person who has died a sense of dignity and calm.
Rest In Power implies that the person – who is dead and can do nothing – still has to fight. They have to be powerful, in charge of something, representing some valid cause. They have to be strong. Why would anyone in their right mind want to ooze strength and power even after death?
What do people expect from the dead if they are sending them to rest in power? Are the deceased warriors who should be in charge of something on the Other Side? Are they going to be leading a group of protestors, a fight against the establishment, an army of do-gooders? And how are they supposed to rest if they have all that responsibility thrust upon them?
I am not terribly active in fighting for my favorite causes in life. Maybe I just need the energy of the dead to start standing up for the rights of the oppressed. But wait … do the dead have energy? Do I even want the dead to have that kind of energy?
I don’t plan on getting a rush of energy when I die. I plan to be dead. I want to rest. I don’t want any extra responsibility and I sure don’t want to have to be in charge of anything. I don’t want even the tiniest bit of power.
So while I have no idea – truly I don’t – what happens after one is dead, I would like to plead with anyone who might post my death on social media: please, allow me to Rest In Peace.