Funerals are among the saddest moments that one experiences in life.  Yet, in many ways, they are truly a celebration of the life of the deceased and of those attending the services.  They provide an opportunity for both immediate and extended family members and friends to reconnect – frequently, with surprising results.

 

A case in point is my nephew Paul, the only real southerner in our family.  Born in Texas, Paul has obviously absorbed some of the “old time religion” that is prevalent in the South.  And so, to the list of inspirational contemporary preachers including Rick Warren, Jack Van Impe, Gardner C. Taylor, and Jimmy Swaggart, we can add the name Paul Maloney.

Human beings are an odd race.  Their clinical advancements have restored sight to the blind, replaced hearts in near-terminal cardiac patients, and cultured babies in test tubes.  Their lofty goals and scientific quests have taken them far beyond the moon, to view, map, and study distant galaxies through state-of-the-art instrumentation.  Their humanitarian souls have built houses for the homeless without compensation, and surged forth selflessly with critical resources for victims of disasters.  Despite these accomplishments, human beings have also proven themselves to be astoundingly stupid and attention-greedy.

Throughout history, however, people have always found a way to laugh at their own shortcomings.  Nothing has made this easier than technology.  For example, if you’re having a bad day or just want a good laugh, simply click buzzlol.com.  This site has cached photos of people caught engaged in strange behaviors – and proud of it!

Their page for Photoshop Fail displays evidence of people who’ve gone over the deep end to enhance their photographs in order to look fly on the Internet.  Among them is a young woman who seems to have lost her hips in a rigorous workout regimen and a not-so macho man whose muscles appear as genuine as the cartoon Popeye’s.

Buzzlol.com’s duckface photos are more evidence of plain old dumb behavior.  Why any sane person would post photos of themselves making “duck lips” escapes me.   Well, it has to be cheaper than Botox!

And then there is the page for funny autocorrect, which proves how awry text messages can go by virtue of the autocorrect spelling and context software built into iPhones.  The most hysterical example comes from the girl who used filthy language with what she assumed to be a former boyfriend.  She also asked the “ex” to identify himself among the ten *%&#* she’d dated in the past.  The answer came back, “It’s your father!”  I have to admit, this one gave me the best laugh.  I pictured the punishment the dad must have handed down to his wanton daughter, including the loss of her precious iPhone!