Respecting the dead but not the living

Why is it that people are so respectful of the dead but they can't bring themselves to show the same respect for the living? If they can be so nice, and only speak well of the dead ("Oh he was so nice, such an upstanding person, yadda yadda"), and refrain from speaking anything bad or negative about the dead (ignoring that this same person was human like the rest of us and had issues), why can't they do it for people that are already living? While it's nice that people can respect the dead I just don't understand the train of thought here, because as cold as this sounds, guess what, dead people aren't around to feel appreciated and loved because of that respect. Living people are. I always hear other people say and I've said it myself "I wish I knew what people were going to say when I died". Why wait until then? Why not be positive and friendly towards people while they are still alive? The world would be a lot better of a place to be.

 

Maybe they figure it's only polite, since the person is dead and can't stick up for themselves? lol or too, a lot of cultures have that ghostly-superstition thing going on, and perhaps they don't want to be visited by their dead person for talking smack.

 

everyone can be immagined as the imaginer desires and never change or do anything to spoil that picture cause their dead .....to love the living one must forgive understand and constantly change .....

 

But that's just what I'm getting at. Why can't they extend that same politeness towards the living as well? Just because the living CAN stick up for themselves doesn't make them any less worthy of the same respect. But often, when people talk bad about others, the people they are talking about aren't even around TO stick up for themselves, so it's sorta the same situation as with the dead anyway. It just seems illogical to me.

This makes sense. Good theory.

 

I hate dead people. They take up too much space

 

Bree,

What an excellent observation, and concluded with such a lovely sentiment.

You are indeed a wise woman. Very well said!

Might I add that today, on the day of the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla, nothing seems to be more pertinent than your observation. Everyone is booing Charles for re-marrying, wishing he'd stay single in honour of his dead wife. Frankly, I'm sick of hearing how great Diana was after she died. She was not a great woman, and Camilla is a much better wife for Charles in probably every way. But people seem to hate Camilla simply for being alive!