"Departures": Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

January 07, 2011 by Joseph Susanka

Continued from Page 1

The story is spiritual rather than religious. Kobayashi participates in ceremonies for nearly every denomination, suggesting that his role as nokanshi is primarily a cultural one. But the film is also unashamed and uncompromising in its clear belief that death is far from the end of all things. As one character puts it, "Death is like a gateway. Dying doesn't mean the end. You go through it, and on to the next thing." For a society increasingly obsessed with extending life no matter the cost, the characters' matter-of-fact, fearless acceptance of their wholly natural worldly demise is both refreshing and inspiring.

We humans, despite our best efforts to the contrary, struggle constantly against the notion that death is the conclusion of a story, rather than the gentle pause that comes at the end of a chapter. No wonder we are terrified and undone by its impending arrival. But as "Departures" reminds us so beautifully, it is the recognition of death as a single step along the endless path of life—an understanding that the span of our worldly days can only be properly understood in the context of a far greater work, penned by a far greater Writer than ourselves—that lies at the heart of our ability to accept it without fear.

May we all be granted the comforting grace of this understanding as we draw ever-nearer to that gate which awaits us all.

Page: 2 of 2

1/7/2011 5:00:00 AM

Catholic

Through a Lens Darkly

Movies

Christianity

Roman Catholicism

more at patheos

Zen Master Soen Nakagawa

James Ford

City where Divine Mercy was born to welcome 5,000 pilgrims

William Hemsworth

4 Right Responses to Times of Suffering

Randy Alcorn

Defense of 50 NT Passages Against “Faith Alone”, Pt. 5

Dave Armstrong

About Joseph Susanka

Joseph Susanka has been doing development work for institutions of Catholic higher education since his graduation from Thomas Aquinas College in 1999. He blogs at Crisis Magazine, where he also contributes feature articles on a variety of topics.

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos