Tourists Behaving Badly

Saint Ambrose of Milan
(Public Domain)

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do” is advice worth considering, especially when traveling to countries that emphasize social mores.

This adage was allegedly first utilized by Saint Ambrose of Milan while mentoring Saint Augustine and his mother, Saint Monica.  The two had been planning to visit 4^th-century Rome and were wondering whether to adhere to its Saturday fasting schedule, which differed from that of Milan.

If some of today’s impetuous tourists were to seek wise counsel, much angst could be avoided.  This past summer, an Australian Instagrammer thought he’d entertain online viewers with a video of him drinking from a can left on a Japanese headstone as a likely offering to the ancestors.  “He’s then seen burping in front of the grave.”

This, plus many another tourist breach, has resulted in public outcry all the way up to embassy levels and online apologies.  What the world needs now is not only love sweet love, but also wisdom sweet wisdom.

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_in_Rome,_do_as_the_Romans_do            

https://news.yahoo.com/news/articles/anger-japan-instagrammer-drinks-burial-062859207.html

Autumnal Reflections

 

(Photo by Richard Ricciardi)

Leaves are often bursting with beauty just before they fall.  Humans also experience bouts of beauty before they finally detach from life in this world.

Contrary to popular opinion, dying is not just a fearful affair. According to Dr. Christopher Kerr, a decades-long hospice physician, this final phase can provide a “unique vantage point” that “changes one’s perspective and perception.”

In his study of “more than 1,500 end-of-life events,” Kerr found that “most dying patients” experience intense visions and/or dreams that provide transformational closure.  These experiences are marked with clarity, rather than with the confusion that often accompanies medication-induced states.

Although sometimes wracked with cycles of guilt and remorse, such processes allow for the release of unresolved relationship traumas, which often results in loving feelings of peaceful completion. 

Resources

End-of-life doctor reveals what people say right before death

Religion Gone Mad

People's Crusade of 1096
(Public Domain)

People who say, “You can’t live with it,” often forget to add “but you can’t live without it.”  This can be true for many of life’s essentials: water can flood homes as well as quench thirst, air can hurl trees as well as fill lungs, and religion can help to sin as well as help to save.

The kind of religion that helps to sin is the kind that falls very far from its holy roots.  It’s the kind that human history has borne way too often.  It’s the kind that has fostered the Salem Witch Trials, the (so-called) Holy Crusades, the Branch Davidian Disaster, the Thirty Years War, the Mass Deaths of Jonestown, and many other such tragic events.

Yet the misuse of religion does not mean that religion itself is no good.  Much like water and air, religion can be essentially life affirming when not tainted by humans gone mad.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/peopleandplaces/10-worst-things-religions-have-ever-done/vi-AA1FKd6K?ocid=winp2fptaskbar&cvid=8853bb290dca43bfb6619593424fe482&ei=31

  

Funeral Surprise

 

(Photo by Airwolfhound)

Imagine attending a dear one’s funeral.  As the outdoor ceremony proceeds, you can’t help but notice a commotion overhead.  Hoping to catch a glimpse of his ascending soul, you glance skyward.  Instead you’re showered with rose petals and US currency.

Come to find out that this was your friend’s final request.  Having been a successful businessman, he wanted to share “5,000 in cash” with the help of a handy helicopter.  His funeral attendees were invited to partake of this free-floating bounty.

All this occurred within a busy section of East Detroit.  Yet iHeartRadio was happy to report, “Despite the potential for chaos, the crowd remained calm and respectful.  All’s well that ends well!

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2025-07-10-dead-mans-life-savings-dropped-out-of-helicopter-fulfilling-his-dying-wish/?mid=1513639&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline7