He said, She said
I read a book in one sitting last week...150+ chapters. Before you become too awe-struck at my reading prowess, I should explain that they were very short chapters, usually no more than a short phrase or a few sentences. You'll get the idea from the title of the book: "Famous Last Words: Fond Farewells, Deathbed Diatribes and Exclamations upon Expiration", compiled by Ray Robinson.
The book, a Christmas gift from one of the church members, purports to be a collection of the last recorded words of persons, many of whom were famous and well-known, but some not. Some remarks were witty, others despondent (suicide notes), while others were downright mundane, especially in the case of persons who left this life unexpectedly right in the middle of something they were saying or doing.
The remark that made the greatest impression on me were the words attributed to Louis B. Mayer, the movie mogul of MGM fame. As he lay dying in a hospital, he said, "It wasn't worth it."
No context is given, so I'm not sure exactly what "It" he was referring to, but I assume he meant life itself. Almost 3000 years ago, the writer of Ecclesiastes came to the same conclusion, "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity." And Jesus put it very clearly when he said, "For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole work, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Mt. 16:26
What would I say if I knew my time had come? What will your last words be? How sad that anyone should come to the end and say, "It wasn't worth it."
The book, a Christmas gift from one of the church members, purports to be a collection of the last recorded words of persons, many of whom were famous and well-known, but some not. Some remarks were witty, others despondent (suicide notes), while others were downright mundane, especially in the case of persons who left this life unexpectedly right in the middle of something they were saying or doing.
The remark that made the greatest impression on me were the words attributed to Louis B. Mayer, the movie mogul of MGM fame. As he lay dying in a hospital, he said, "It wasn't worth it."
No context is given, so I'm not sure exactly what "It" he was referring to, but I assume he meant life itself. Almost 3000 years ago, the writer of Ecclesiastes came to the same conclusion, "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity." And Jesus put it very clearly when he said, "For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole work, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Mt. 16:26
What would I say if I knew my time had come? What will your last words be? How sad that anyone should come to the end and say, "It wasn't worth it."
posted by EP | 11:29 AM | Permalink
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