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The Herald, July 12, 1990
GRIEF turned to drama at the Railway Block Hospital at the weekend, when a man armed with an axe broke into a mortuary and began swinging the axe wildly at mourners who had come to collect the body of his child for burial.
The man chased the mourners, who included the child’s mother, saying he wanted to bury the child by himself.
After repeated persuasion from relatives and friends, who defied his threats, the man finally gave in.
He chose six people, excluding the mother of the child, who he said “were eligible” to attend the funeral.
At the graveside, the man still armed with the axe, is reported to have shocked the handful of mourners by telling them to go to their homes after the funeral service because “things are expensive these days”.
From the cemetery the man reportedly headed for a beerhall “to drown his sorrows in drink”. – Ziana.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
- Losing a child can be a very traumatic experience for a parent and some fail to keep their emotions in check resulting in them acting out of character like the man in the story who was threatening mourners with an axe.
- In such cases, it is important for relatives and friends to come together and support the grieving parents. It is important not to get them act out their emotions and vent their anger so that they can start healing better.
- Drowning one’s sorrows in a drink is not a good coping mechanism for dealing with grief because it only gives temporary relief and the moment they sober up, they start to grieve all over again and the cycle continues. In extreme cases drinking can lead to addiction which will have dire consequences on one’s life.
- It is always important not to be rude to people who come to your aid in times of need. The man was being rude to mourners who were trying to console him and his family during their loss, which lacked ubuntu and was also unChristian because Romans 12:15 reads “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn”.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter