RIP Heath Ledger "Forever Young"

Along with the expected sadness that a young, successful, talented and well know person has died I am always reminded that on the same day people all over the world lose their lives in accidents, drug related incidents, war and hunger! Heath Ledger is hardly your typical celebrity and is certainly not simply 'famous for being famous'... he has always been a talented actor.
His accidental death has made huge waves in the media and I myself was casually watching brekkie TV when the news broke! It raises lots of important things for discussion. The media, fame, relationships, depression and medication, wealth and happiness!! There's also a valuable chance to discuss mortality, life, and what authentic relationships and communication are about amongst young people and within families. Films like 'The Chumscrubber' and songs like Youth Group's "Forever Young" provide mainstream resources for youth ministry in evoking stories about communication and taking time or lyrics reflecting on loss, passing, and the image of stuck in time as forever young.
We will never get to see Heath Ledger in films as a forty year old actor... some will not see their kids get off P plates or survive drugs and alcohol... others will stop hearing kids stories, questions and fears and they'll just drift off the radar... what are the tools and skills needed to prevent this? what are the building blocks of relating to kids ahead of this? What do young people themselves have to say about their own lives?


Forever Young
Let's dance in style let's dance for a while,
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies,
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst,
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?

Let us die on let us live forever,
Don't have the power but we never say never,
Sitting in the sandpit life is a short trip,
Music's for the sad man

Can you imagine when this race is run,
Turning up our faces into the sun,
Praising our leaders getting in tune,
Music's played by the mad man

Forever young, I want to be forever young,
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever forever,
Forever young, I want to be forever young,
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, forever

Some are like water Some are like the heat,
Some are melodies Some are the beat,
Sooner or later they'll all be gone,
Why don't they stay on?

It's hard to get without a cause,
I don't want to perish like a fading voice,
Youth is like diamonds in the sun,
And diamonds are forever,
So many adventures couldn't happened today,
So many songs that we forgot to play,
So many dreams swimming out in the blue,
Let them come true

Forever young I want to be forever young,
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, forever.....