We stayed in Toronto this past weekend, a plan we made a couple of months ago. We went for several reasons, including a visit to the Royal Ontario Museum. To our chagrin we found out during last week that this was to be a free entrance weekend to celebrate an anniversary. We figured that the crowds would be huge, and they were. We arrived for the 10 AM opening and there were already 500 or more people in the line in front of us. By the time we left the line, several people wide, snaked up Avenue Rd. and well along Bloor St.
We were there to see the exhibit called Death: Life's Greatest Mystery and even though the wait outside was 20 minutes with another 20 minute line-up inside it was well worth it. Here is the ROMs description:
Through artifacts, specimens, and immersive media experiences, learn how life and death are part of a universal, continuous, and cyclical process. This thought-provoking exhibition explores cultural and natural responses to life and death and asks big questions including: “What if I don’t want to die?”, “What will happen to my body?” and “What will happen to my ‘self’?”. Experience how life goes on after death—and could not without it.
This was a thoughtfully curated exhibit and we spent the better part of an hour, looking, reading, pondering. Some of what we experienced had to do with biology, and spirituality. A number of displays were interactive. We're planning a grief series at Trenton United and this was really helpful in a number of ways. Humans and some other animal species do mourn their dead and all through history humans have grappled with the prospect of life after death.
Canoe Coffin from Ghana
Today it occurred to me that while different religious and spiritual traditions were represented there wasn't much about Christianity. Heading into Holy Week, with the centrality of Jesus' Good Friday death before Easter's celebration of resurrection this really came home,
As we left Toronto we talked about the people taking in the exhibit, everyone from children in strollers to the very elderly. At one spot inviting reflection I stood next to an older woman who was wiping away tears and it was a poignant moment. What was her story?
Around us were Black, Brown, Beige and White people, no doubt representing many different cultures. In the end it was better to have experienced Death: Life's Greatest Mystery in the midst of so many people.
Oh yes, the canoe casket really appeals to me!
2 comments:
I am convinced our spi5rits move on in an afterlife ... having been "visited" by two important people in my life, come to comfort me in my grief. Very real experiences, which helped me to move on. There are others whom I wish I could have had a visitation from, for assurance... i have no idea why some came to me and others did not.
I also had a Hindu priest tell me, after my husband passed away, that "he is safe, he is in a good place" (Bob had died suddenly, and I was stunned - a basket case, if you get my meaning!) It was the first spiritual word that was given to me after his death !
Through the years, Judy, lots of people have shared similar experiences, although often with almost a sense of embarrassment in telling me. If you can't talk about the afterlife with your minister, who else would it be?! Thanks for responding.
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