Ok, I guess in this guy's case it's kinda understandable.
"Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and the oldest surviving British veteran from World War I, has died at the age of 113, his care home said Saturday."
WW1? Wow.
Born in 1896. His life's story is a pretty is a pretty cool one...
Exceptionally sad? So.... would you have prefered him to die earlier?
the talk radio station I listen to sometimes was talking about the 66 year old woman yesterday and saying how it was pretty much immoral for her to have had those children. I don't know if I would go so far as to say immoral, but I do think she was insanely selfish.
I do not wish to outlive any my children. I do find it exeptionally sad that this man had to bury his wife and both daughters. We all get old and we die, I will bury my parents, I've known that for some time, but as a parent we are not meant to bury our children.
I do not wish to live to 113 if it means I must bury my own children.
I hate that people say "we aren't meant to bury our children."
Maybe in this day and age b/c of medicine it's fairly uncommon, but throughout most of history we WERE meant to bury them. That's why families had a gazillion kids, they had to make sure to have enough, that SOME would stay alive.
Just cause this guy outlived 2 of his kids, doesn't mean his two dead kids didn't have full and complete lives. And I gotta imagine that the remaining kids have been happy to have him around as long as it has been.
How can I not know shit about the subject? What is it with providing such pathetic criticism of a comment?
What I said about kids dying throughout most of history is factually accurate. My comment on the other kids being glad their dad lived as long as he did, was me imposing my feelings onto them. I would be happy to have my mom around as long as possible, provided she was still healthy.
Hey Anon, Aurora is right. Infant and child mortality rates were much higher in the past. You didn't know this?
From the wiki: "During ancient times and the Middle Ages, the infant mortality rate was about 200 deaths per 1,000 live births and the under-5 mortality rate was about 300 deaths per 1,000 live births."
Currently, the U.S. infant mortality rate is 6.3 per 1,000 and 49.4 per 1,000 worldwide.
I read that the 66 y/o mother's mother lived to be more than 100 so she figured she would too.
It may sound mean to say but, I think it's good that she died while the kids are still toddlers. They won't even remember her when they get older.
Jiggy - I suppose it could be better in the long run for the kids as long as they aren't sent off to an orphanage because they have no family members that can care for them. They'll probably see pictures of her and think it's a long lost grandparent or something. Then someone will say, "No that was your mom." Then they'd be like, "Whachu talkin' about Willis!".
Here's a story about a 72-year old lady trying to be a mother. WTF?
I don't really see the problem with an older person being a parent. How many kids these days are raised by their grandparents anyway? A lot. But those are situations where the old folks don't really have much of a choice.
Undergoing fertility treatments in order to become preggers at that age does seem a bit odd to me though.
I can't imagine anything sadder then having to bury your own child. I'm sure any parent would rather die themselves than see their child dead. Arguing that point is puzzling to me.
I shudder to imagine it - it'd be like burying 99% of my hopes and dreams right now, along with losing one of the coolest human beings I've ever met. I know families that lost kids young, and never really recovered. I can see why now.
Not for argument, but for discussion's sake, if I outlived my kids who lived an entire natural life span, I think it would be totally lonely and sad, but not quite the same as having feelings that they hadn't gotten the chance to live full lives and realize their potential. I'd miss the coolest person thing (assuming they stayed that way), but I don't think I'd feel cheated in the same way.
Does that make sense? This guy saw the entirety of his children's contribution to the world - he didn't wonder what might have been at all - which may take a little bit of the sting out of it, such as that is possible?
Isn't that the curse of immortality? You outlive everyone you ever loved, ever knew, until you're alone in the world and lonely and wish you could go where they've gone.
My grandmother is 96 and I see this feeling in her. All of her peers are dead and I think she's often lonely and longing to go where they've gone.
I can't imagine the love for a child diminishes enough in their adult hood to negate the feeling that it should have been you who died and not them.
LONDON - Harry Patch, the last British army veteran of World War I, has died at 111, the nursing home where he lived said Saturday.
The Fletcher House care home in Wells, southwest England, said Patch died early Saturday.
"He just quietly slipped away at 9 a.m. this morning," said care home manager Andrew Larpent. "It was how he would have wanted it, without having to be moved to hospitals but here, peacefully with his friends and carers."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the whole country would mourn "the passing of a great man."
"The noblest of all the generations has left us, but they will never be forgotten. We say today with still greater force, We Will Remember Them," Brown said.
Prince Charles said "nothing could give me greater pride" than paying tribute to Patch.
Patch had been the last surviving soldier from the British army to have served in the 1914-18 war. The only other surviving U.K.-based British veteran of the war, former airman Henry Allingham, died a week ago at age 113.
