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RIlD,
e AY OCTOBER 19, 1990
My Plan As King
Would Change Lives
MICHAEL LEVINE
Special to The Jewish News
I
get the strangest looks
from people when I tell
them that I have already
carefully considered and have
decided what my first act
would be as king of this great
country. The looks get even
stranger, if possible, when I
reveal my declaration to be
the mandating of an annual
attendance at a funeral ser-
vice for every man, woman
and child under the age of 40.
Perhaps, not surprisingly,
this idea came to me after at-
tending the funeral service of
an employee's father who
passed away suddenly at age
57. I had never met the
gentleman and went to the
service as an obligation, to
show respect . . . that's all.
What I learned that day was
a great deal more.
The speakers at the service
talked about his human con-
nections to family and
friends. Even his business
associates overlooked his
many professional ac-
complishments and focused
on what kind of person they
had come to know and love.
"Whoever dies with the
most toys wins" was regard-
ed as a funny thing to say in
the late 1980s, but since that
day I've no longer been able
to find the slogan amusing.
Amazing. For years people
are constantly reminded the
importance of dedication to
their career and the need for
hard work. Of course that's
true but apparently, in the
final analysis, as important
as obligations are to your
given profession, you will be
remembered for being a
human being first. Human
connections with spouses,
with children, and with
friends are what overwhelm-
ingly will leave a lasting
impression.
This whole experience got
me thinking about whether
or not a funeral can be more
than a time of grief. I started
to wonder if young people
spent an hour a year listen-
ting to what people are
remembered for, if it wouldn't
act as a massive smoke
alarm, redirecting many of
us.
That is exactly what hap-
pened to Alfred Nobel,
founder of the prestigious in-
ternational Nobel prizes. As a
Swedish chemist, Mr. Nobel
had made a fortune by inven-
Michael Levine writes from
North. Hollywood, Calif
ting ways to make explosives
more powerful and licensing
his formula to governments to
make weapons.
One day, Mr. Nobel's
brother died and, a local
newspaper accidentally
printed an obituary notice on
Alfred instead. The obituary
focused on his accomplish-
ment of enabling armies to
achieve new levels of mass
destruction.
Alfred Nobel had the uni-
que opportunity to read his
own obituary and he didn't
like what he was remembered
for. He took his fortune and
established awards to benefit
humanity.
No matter what advances
we make in technology, time
can not be manipulated by us.
We get a beginning and, all
too quickly and often without
warning, an end. These two
important parts of life are
largely out of our control.
But, attendance at a funeral
just might make us question
what comes between the
launch and the finale and
point us in the direction of
trying to create something
time can not erode.
I realize that my mandate
would only be possible with a
monarch's position as the lack
of popularity of this sugges-
tion would forbid elective of-
fice. Popular or not, I really
can't help but wonder if it
wouldn't more than any other
single act, redirect our values,
use of time, etc.
Now I understand that my
decree would bring protest in
many areas. Especially from
those who have a vested in-
terest in keeping many of our
current values ongoing. I
don't expect much support
from the television networks.
Some may be pleased to
know that my proposal, while
firm, does have some flexibili-
ty to it. While you must at-
tend one funeral a year, I
make no determination on
whose service. The message I
got from attending the
funeral of my co-worker's
father was in some ways even
more powerful because I had
never met the man.
Modernity seems to have
delivered a special need for
my idea. In days gone by, life's
reality taught people,
through the early death of
siblings and elders, that "life
is real, life is earnest, life is
short."
So, while you await my cor-
onation, try to make peace
with my idea. After some
thought, it may appear much
more useful than morbid. ❑