e cigarettes and ascension day

Radio 4's thought for the day reminded me that today is Ascension day, a holy day which celebrates Jesus ascension into heaven.  It is 40 days after his death on the cross and it is celebrated because Jesus' shows that death is not the end and central to Christian faith is a certainty that while death is a death threat, it isn't the whole story.  Angela Tilby spoke about the way we muddle the idea of holiday by forgetting that holidays are holy days, she reminded me that you used to be allowed off school for the day if you could prove you were going to Church!

Just like muddling up holy and holiday, we muddle up the idea of death, forgetting that death is the other side of birth and that having been born, we are bound to go through the death gate.  Faith says that death is a separation from our bodies and I like that thought, I believe that thought although proof is a bit scanty!  But I don't fool myself that however much I believe that I am not just this funny old body, I know that giving it up and dying will happen because wether I like the idea or not, death happens to everybody.

Martha Kearney looks so smiley

Next on Radio 4, the poor man representing the tobacco and e cigarette maker had to defend himself from Martha Kearney's attack on his knowingly peddling products which will cause thousands of deaths by nicotine.  Of course she has a point, dying from lung disease or heart disease should be avoided, a nice gentle death would be preferable but isn't a given.  She made it sound as if the only people dying would be those who had smoked and this clearly isn't the case, smokers may die from smoking related disease but most of us will die from some disease or other.  Naughty Martha, the poor man is trying to make cigarettes better!

Clive James reading his poem Sentenced to Life is a good meditation on life … and then death, click here and listen to him