Peter & Christopher Hitchens..

I quite like Peter Hitchens.
I may not agree with all of what he says, but that doesn't matter to me.
He's an intelligent man, forthright, with a world view that quite often makes a lot of sense.
Some say he's harsh but I don't find him harsh at all.

I mentioned this to someone once and they looked at me in disgust/confusion... as if to inquire.. 'how could I!?!'
Well... I can and I do.
I'm not one to be overtly swayed by public opinion, and often find that when the majority follow a certain path.. it can be best to carve your own..

This may seem an odd introduction to what I want to talk about.. and that's Eulogies.. but it's not really..

You see ( although I don't know them) I was quite saddened to hear of the death of Peter's brother Christopher. I was intrigued as to why for many years they didn't get on.. but it can be tough when opinions differ greatly.

However, having a contrasting world view to someone else, does not mean there is an absence of love.
I read Peter's blog ( as I often do) and thought, how difficult and strange it all must be, dealing with private emotions in public

This got me thinking about Eulogies. I watched a film once when a man who knew he was about to die, organised and attended his own funeral.
He got to hear what was said about him, what people really thought of him, and how much he would be missed.
A Eulogy for the living.. why not?
A person, in knowing how much they were truly loved.. would surely rest in peace then..

*****

Not an eulogy, but quite a profound interview with Paxman
He spoke very candidly about his illness

Close to the end of this interview - it's almost as if he wasn't really an atheist..
Just reluctant, and refusing, to believe the word of man perhaps
Whilst it's true his words could have offended many.. ( for example in my mind it's not appropriate to criticize the faith or religion of another, and to mock it even worse.. for there is much good, and healing to be found in the faiths if you seek it) if you choose not to be offended and read between the lines he was at the very least, a very interesting man