GK Chesterton, Terry Pratchett & Suicide

I have been told that Terry is a fan of GKC, nothing wrong with that, we all should be. But it is an amazing coincidence (sorry God, just using this term so as not to offend the fools out there) that today ends the 9 days of the Pro-Life prayers to GKC and today State Sponsored TV (BBC) will show Terry watching someone else kill themselves. Tomorrow is the 75 anniversary of the death of GKC, were he still alive I think he would suggest that Terry needs to read a few more of his books!

Just being totally ridiculous for a minute and putting God out of the argument, let us consider a couple of points. Many people who attempt suicide fail and go on and live happy lives, assisted suicide does not fail. Secondly, you and I do not know what the future holds, we do not even KNOW for sure how we will feel tomorrow. Alison Davis, of No Less Human wanted to die for years, but is now very happy that no one helped her!

Just looked on the internet and found this lot here;

Author Terry Pratchett writes that Chesterton "in small doses taken regularly is good for the soul" [Source- Wisdom and Innocence, p. 90].

Pratchet and co-author Neil Gaiman dedicated their novel Good Omens:
"to the memory of GK Chesterton, a man who knew what was going on".

Also a character in the book (Good Omens) states that Chesterton is:
"the only poet in the twentieth century to even come close to the Truth."
[Source- Wisdom and Innocence, p. 90.]

Terry Pratchett also writes:
"It's worth pointing out that in The Man Who was Thursday and The Napoleon of Notting Hill he gave us two of the most emotionally charged plots in the twentieth century..."
[Source- Wisdom and Innocence, p. 90]

As I have a signed copy (that is a funny story, for another post) of Wisdom and Innocence, maybe I should get around to reading it now. You can borrow it when I'm done Terry.

Do also see John Smeaton's blog for how to complain to the BBC and ideas of what to say.

The Wisdom Of Tolkien, Again

'Why? Why do the fools fly?' said Denethor. 'Better to burn sooner than late, for burn we must. Go back to your bonfire! And I? I will go now to my pyre. To my pyre! No tomb for Denethor and Faramir. No tomb! No long slow sleep of death embalmed. We will burn like the heathen kings before ever a ship sailed from the West. The West has failed. Go back and burn!'

(The Siege of Gondor, The Return of the King, JRR Tolkien)

With these few words, JRR Tolkien clearly shows us the folly of suicide, euthanasia and cremation all in one go! If it is not clear to you, then please read the whole of The Lord of the Rings (again I hope). Remember that while the Church may allow cremation, it does not recommend it! This old pagan ritual came back into practice in the early 1900's for those who did not want a Christian Burial.