Death and Crap

Tim Russert just died. Kind of strange and unexpected, but everyone knows that it's possible for any one of us to die at any second. Shocking celebrity death has become increasingly common as of late though, and I don't have the slightest idea why. I made no comment on the Death of Heath Ledger at the time, but it came as quite a shock to me as well. Don't get me wrong, I feel no sympathy for these people, no emotional trauma, just surprise at the death of modern gods. I know that the rate of "famous" death probably isn't any higher lately than the background level, but in general it seems as if people are dropping all over the place.

I understand that statistically, with more people in the world, more will be dying at any moment. But, famous "big death" news events have been coming at us with a strange intensity in the past 6 months. In fact, the past few years in general have been pretty gory due to mostly natural disaster, accident and war. Probably though, nature has taken the most lives of all. I think climate change is partially to blame for this upswing.

What does it mean to live in a world so saturated with constant death. Personally I don't see anyone dying in my vicinity, but I'm aware that it's happening every day. The intense degree of mass death on the news in far-off and sometimes not so far-off places must really affect us somehow, I just don't quite understand how.