There is really no appropriate title for this post as I am merely commenting on a Facebook post added by a friend of mine this week.
I am very objective and took no immediate offense to the post, but rather tried to consider the viewpoint of the poster. The post read "Whitney Who?"
The photograph is at this link
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3008489463487&set=p.3008489463487&type=1&theater with this caption
“America's fighting men and women sacrifice much to ensure that our great nation stays free. We owe a debt of gratitude to all our Military that have paid the ultimate price for this cause, as well as for those who are blessed enough to return from the battlefield unscathed.” Allen Boyd
The photograph shows coffins of soldiers who have lost their lives in service to our wonderful country. This was intriguing because it seems like we want to redirect focus to the servicemen rather than off of Whitney Houston's shocking death as if to devalue her death. I, and I can only speak for myself, have not now and will never discredit the thousands of men and women who volunteer to fight for our country's safety. I, not now and will never, devalue the devastation and tragedy of any type of loss. I do not feel that by celebrating a life, of any kind, devalues the lives lost by those who serve our country. I think that the post was immaturely represented in that it attempts to prioritize deaths. Would you post this photo if an immediate family member died? If your mother passed away would you post a photo of soldiers and say "Mother Who"? I don't think anyone would because the loss is great. And your attention and focus is on dealing with that loss. You would never devalue your mother's death.
There are thousands of people who die everyday and no one even knows who they are. Yet, people die everyday, innocent people, senselessly but we are not directly affected as sometimes we are unaware or have no direct or indirect relationship to those individuals. It is not our place to pass judgement. We can not fault people who have developed relationships with this vocalist. Those who viewed her life as a testimony of strength and great faith. No one in life is perfect by far, but her life and her music brought hope to many people. Those who grew to know and love her music allowed her words, lyrics to directly affect their lives. For all we know she could have saved lives through her words and her faith. I do not think that by celebrating her life, that we can not also celebrate the lives of those who fight or have fought everyday for this country.
Now there were several posts/comments in the thread that I don't particularly agree and I won't respond to each individually but I will say that regardless to how someone dies, no one is absolutely perfect. Many of the individuals on that thread are not perfect, but I would hate to hear what someone would say about you when you past away. I would hope that they would not say that "you got what you deserved" or that "it was your fault". Regardless that is not the reason for celebrating a life. You celebrate the good things. We are uncertain how many soldiers fight because they have nothing to lose, or whose to say that they don't devalue their own lives so they just fight with hope to die? We are uncertain of those things just as we are uncertain of what Whitney Houston was actually going through but we remember her for all the great she has done and we remember those soldiers for the great things that they have done.
This post is not to attack anyone but to merely provide a more objective viewpoint and to voice an opinion.
