Death, Remembrance, and the Ancestors

Yesterday at the UU church I attend, the sermon was about death. In it was asked, what do we owe the dead?  I think that is a very interesting question that is often overlooked. We don't like to think about death and dying.It's a shame that we don't, there is so much about death that can be enlightening

What do we owe the dead?  We owe them remembrance. We must remember who they were and what they did. We must remember their stories and tell them. There should be more than a name and two dates on a tombstone. That isn't even a summary of a life, just a beginning and an ending and barely that.

Why do we owe it?  The dead are our ancestors. They came before us and helped to create the world where we live. Some are even directly responsible for our being here. Others just made it easier, or travelled to where we live.

Does this mean we must forget or ignore the wrongs done?  No, not at all. But there are few people who have only done evil. You must decide who you will honor, how, and when. If there is someone you just cannot bring yourself to honor, then you would be doing harm to yourself to do so. And it is not honorable to pretend to honor someone just because you feel forced to do so. It should come from the heart and be given freely.