Jade Goody

' I wish Jade didn't have to die,' said 8 year old Holly yesterday. I have very little knowledge or interest who Jade actually is as I have next to no interest in Big Brother (although I did know Jonty Stern from last year!). I'm sure Holly had little idea who Jade was too as big brother is usually beyond her bed time. However it brought a tear to my eye and touched me a bit as she tried to empathise in her 8 year old way with what was happening to this grown up person.
I don't like Big Brother but I've always made it my policy as far as possible not to judge the way people choose to live the way they do. although I can't say that I particularly shared any of Jades enthusiasm for Consumer society.
However she is human with children and it has served as a poigniant reminder of people I have known and lost to cancer. It is very difficult to answer the question of why? It could be easy to come up with some glib formulaic answer gleaned from the bible or phillosophy and some who peddle fundementalist views probably would. My view is that there probably is no answer to the question why - other than it is tragically sad that people have to suffer pain and die. Sometimes I think Children summarise things very succinctly and my view like Holly's is ' I wish she like the other people I have known didn't have to die.' May she know peace.