Grief, Loss and the News!!

http://www.cricket.com.au/news/we-loved-him-and-always-will-clarke/2014-11-29

   It's true, people lose their lives everyday in motor vehicle accidents, ebola takes thousands, people are king hit at the pub and a female hockey player did die in 2012 after being struck in the head by a ball. The death of Phil Hughes has quickly become a huge media story.                                                                                                                                          
   But if notoriety offers anything alongside the reminders that those we 'know' through sport, art, film or even celebrity are not the only people we lose or who suffer in life, it's an opportunity to be open to and see raw grief and loss, community and even leadership at a tough time.                                                                                                                    
   My overwhelming feeling is that loss, grief, empathy & the stuff of life itself is not finite or limited... the onus is on each of us to bring reality to life and in doing so to demand that of our media.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
A tangential example of that for me also happened this week. Imagine if instead of following her around, the media reported that Jacqui Lambie was considering resigning from the Palmer United Party and then had said to her, 'so hey, get back to us when you've got an announcement to make, we don't need to report every day that there's nothing more to report or that you haven't decided.'                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
   And of course, change happens slowly... only some sports followers know who Meg Lanning, Lisa Sthalekar, Elise Perry, Laura Geitz, Stephanie Gilmour or Margaret Watson are...
   So here we are, with an opportunity to be 'alongside' people who've suffered loss of all kinds, to be open to what this story touches off for people.
   We can also 'be better' and give leadership in reminding people of those people whose names we don't know... how do we speak of God into this time? Like the tweet , from the ARIAs I think, that the writer doesn't pray, has never and won't be praying for Phil Hughes, asking, is it still OK for me to think of his family and wens best wishes... there's a whole conversation right there...

   Here's an opportunity to acknowledge how leadership of and conduct of Funerals and walking with people in grief, can be such powerful human behaviour and care... whatever the story...