What Sacrifice Bought, Let No Man Forget.

Funerals. I hate them. I am a sensitive guy and extremely empathetic to others. Seeing the level of sadness at the passing of someone's loved one hits me on a level most people never think of. With that being said, it is admirable that Athens would have a law in place to commemorate their dead in such a manner. A mass funeral honoring those fallen during war, paid  by a nation united in grief is a glorious testament to the culture of the day. In a world like ours where people sacrifice their lives for the safety of a nation, is it not warranted that we should honor them and send them to their graves with dignity?

We have massive public funerals in our nation as well but oft times they are for a single person, and more often it is the funeral of a celebrity or some person of high office. Yet, our defenders go in relative silence compared to them. Pericles sets sets a grand standard in this reading.

Speech points:

1. History and ancestors.
2. Country.
3. Luxury and business.
4. Military might.
5. Humility, public affairs, and daily life.
6. Reputation of the nation in the world.
7. The men who died in service to the nation.
8. Duty of the surviving populace.

Pericles defines his speech by beginning with the nations history, moving to the nation that presently exists, then honoring the fallen. The pattern also falls perfectly within the Greek organization of social order. Gods, country, people, then family.

The warriors fought for the gods and nation, to protect the people and families they held dear. Now it becomes the people's duty to carry on the legacy of those lost and to continue building the nation on the foundation of their sacrifice.

In Christ, we believers have freedom no man can take from us. So let us never forget the price he paid to deliver us and let our lives be a testament of His glory and power over all creation.

P.S. I commented on Kayla and Sophia's posts.