Nobody Dies

 . . .  except for when they do.

Here's another song on our current topic but with a different point of view, reminding us that although nobody dies, death is real.  All moments in time may last forever, but one of those moments irrevocably changes us such that there is no longer any existence and no new memories are formed, for us or for others.

Saying "nobody dies" is not meant to trivialize death. Life-and-death is the great matter. It's not meant to ignore the grief that the survivors naturally experience.  The nobody-dies concept is really just an attempt to remind us that although death is real, our minds and our imaginations can still engage with whomever we want whenever we want, and if our imaginations are limber enough, we can revisit - and even embellish - any moment in time with or without the departed.

We are hardwired to grieve - some other animals (e.g., elephants) grieve over death, too - and it's alright.  It's natural and it helps us get on with the life ahead.  

The songwriter Phil Elverum, who records as Mount Eerie, lost his wife, the cartoonist and musician Geneviève Castrée, to cancer on July 9, 2016.  In response to his grief, Elverum recorded the song Real Death and eventually included the song on an album (A Crow Looked At Me) documenting his spiritual and emotional response to the loss of his partner. 

Warning:  Don't listen to this song unless you're ready to break down and start weeping uncontrollably.  This isn't a song about the experience of grief, this song is that very grief itself.  However, if you're emotionally prepared, the song is a powerful meditation on loss and well worth the experience of listening.