83% of people who have lost a loved one in the past year were given parting words of wisdom by the deceased. 62% were given advice by the dying about relationships, 56% about careers, and 32% about money. 21% were told by their loved one to correct past mistakes, but 17% were urged to go through life without regrets. (Perfect Choice Funerals/The Daily Telegraph)
Ah! The natural temptation to have the last word! Very heart-warming for the dying personage. You can say all the things you didn’t dare say before everyone knew you were dying. And all they dare do is to nod sagely and say “Yes, Uncle Bob. Thank you. You are probably right”. Great, but are the words of wisdom taken seriously, that is the question? What are the odds that as they leave the hospital ward they are saying to themselves, “Silly old buffer!”
If one’s relatives don’t pay attention to you while you are fit and lively, why would they be expected to listen to you while you are expiring? There are, of course exceptions, mostly my own relatives, friends, employees, suppliers and bankers, all of whom, I am told, hang on my every word. So sometime soon I must find time to make notes about what I am to say to them. Wait for it- I have some last gasp words for YOU, dear reader! (I am, of course, making a uuuuge, Trump sized joke).
I think there’s a danger in assuming that the older someone is, the wiser they must be. Certainly adults are wiser than children, but are 50 year olds all that wiser than 30 year olds? So when it comes to listening to the soon to be dead, take what they have to say into account, but remember that even the very elderly are not infallible. At least right now, the rate in which I am increasing in wisdom is slowing considerably.
What I like about the elderly generation, including those about to be dead, is their honestly and lack of political correctness. Young people are far too concerned with not offending or upsetting anyone. The older generation are different, they came from a time when there was more emotional repression- they believed that you shouldn’t make a fuss or get upset easily. What the youth of today need is a good kick up the arse, and it ought to be the job of the elderly to deliver it.
We both absolutely agree with you, Owen! Great post. In America, students in particular are so over- sensitive and unprepared to listen to other points of view ( or at least the media let us think so). Drink the Coolaid, that’s what I say. Life can be tough. Get a life!
Interesting subject. I’m guessing that I won’t be at the top of my game when I reach soon-to-be-deadhood. I’ll likely feel tired, addled, and not in a good mood. So, if I’m lucky enough to receive a farewell hug from anyone, I’ll say “ta” and suggest they read my last iPhone texts for great insights about life. Sent in the mode chosen by the Moderator–uuuugely joking.
I have my last words ready and waiting. My family are gathered round.my deathbed, looking ever so solemn. I gasp
“The fifty thousand pounds is hidden in the…..In the …in…” I then expire.
He he!