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Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Rave on, John Donne: why Amy Winehouse's death diminishes me

 

Amy Winehouse memorial: a photo and flowers in a London street.

Nobody deserves to die young.

Not the children in East Africa. Not the young Norwegians who died last week. And not Amy Winehouse.

No-one these days talks in terms of the 'deserving' and 'undeserving poor'. So why is it OK to divide the dead into those who did and didn't deserve it?

As John Donne wrote in No Man is an Island: "Any man`s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind."

I've read a lot of judgemental crap recently by people who ought to know better. You're not talking about a cartoon character here, or a soap opera role, whatever the tabloids would like you to think. You're talking about a real person.

A real person, with a family.

An untimely death may not be unexpected. It may not be a shock. That doesn't make it any less dreadful. Years ago, someone I loved died young. Because she didn't love herself enough to care what happened to her. That wasn't her fault, either.

Think first, speak later. Have compassion.

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