Saturday, April 15, 2006

Died alone in London, and no one noticed!

There is a sad story in today's SMH of a 40 year woman who died alone in her flat in London and was not discovered till 2 years later... even though her rent was in arrears, she had family, and she'd been provided with housing by a shelter.

It seems as if people are becoming more and more disconnected from one another. Days come and go and no one notices that something might not be right.

I don't know why these lonely deaths affect me so much but they do. It seems such a sad commentary on our western world. We've lost community and looking out for one another. I suspect we have closed in upon ourselves because of fear; fear of abuse, of violence, of being taken advantage of, of being rejected further, of any number of possibilities. With the increase of terrorism and criminal actions the disintergration of community appears likely to continue, and to grow worse.

How to counter this disintegration? Comminity and caring for one another need to be fostered, and not for any ulterior motives except the motive of love.

We're celebrating Easter this weekend. Jesus died a horrible death on a cross for love, and his was a wholesome healing love. He lived love. He didn't just preach it. He eschewed violence even though he was condemned to death as a result. In some mysterious way his death on that cross and then his rising from the dead broke an evil power over us; a power that had kept us from heart wholeness and freedom, and from becoming who we could be and were designed to be. He made a path of peace for us. He alone transforms our hatred and violence. He alone brings us to peace, a deep deep heart peace.

The best community is the community that Jesus grows in us as he transforms our hatreds into compassion and mercy.

Woman dead in flat two years before rent arrears sent landlord calling - World

A WOMAN who died alone in her flat in north London lay unmissed by anyone for more than two years while her television set remained on and mail mounted up.

Carol Vincent's body was discovered in her tiny studio flat in Wood Green, with a bag of shopping by her side and Christmas presents under the tree. [...]

She died at Christmas, all alone!

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