Jérôme Frenchise
11-27-2013, 09:54 AM
I’ve had this on my mind for quite a long time. I’m almost not superstitious, and it is the only reason why I must say I am, a little.
My family (both on my mother’s and my father’s side) has had very bad luck for about a century, as far as I know at least. You might be a Cartesian, when it comes to serial misfortune you may end up wondering what on earth could explain it.
And by misfortune, I mean a certain number of accidental or early deaths.
So, it all started with some unfortunately quite common losses at the time (the 1910s), when my granddad’s (on my father’s side) 3 sisters died from Spanish flu. My grandfather and his 2 brothers survived and lived 80 to 87 years. Then my grandmother (on my father’s side) lost her only sister at the age of 13 (she was 16 herself) from respiratory failure in the 1930s (there was a 10-year gap between my grandparents).
Then, on my other granddad (my mother’s father’s) side, they were 6 children, my grandfather being the only boy. All of them lost one child, in order of age. My granddad being number 5, he was the 5th to lose his only son (my mum’s brother), in 1991. I discovered him dead at his home by the way (nobody had had any news of him for a couple of weeks, so as the family was worried and I was a student about 8 miles away I went to see what was wrong – his letter box was full of messages from his friends… he had been dead inside the house for two weeks), a very sad loss, dead at 39 from heart failure, he was a very talented and appreciated painter (he did expositions in Paris, Brussels and Bonn), and a musician too. “Accidental suicide”, after two decades on various substances, including uppers and downers – he had once too many that caused heart failure.
Before him there had been 4 premature deaths, each one happening to my granddad’s sisters in order of age, including a 17-year-old girl during some benign surgery…
At my uncle’s funeral, my granddad’s younger sister was all the more in tears that “she was next”, as she said… which didn’t fail to happen, as she lost her elder son who committed suicide a couple of years later.
Then… My brother lost his 4-year-old elder son (my godson) last year in a car accident. He was a very lively, precocious child – eager with learning and doing things. He wasn’t far from being able to read. In retrospect it was like learning was a race for him, he was so active…
He happened to be a VH fan by the way, through my younger bro. He had a set list for my brother to play in his car while driving to school, “Jump”, “She’s the woman”, alongside with AC/DC tunes and my own band’s “Oh yeah”. Of course I can’t listen to those songs on purpose anymore. For my brother, I just can’t imagine how it is, not having him anymore. Unbearable.
His (now 2 year-old) younger son fortunately survived after a 2-week resuscitation. No words can express the pain it is to lose a child, and not more can the relief of learning the little brother is out of danger, and a couple of months later without any after-effects (safe the loss of his brother, now deep inside of him). No need to say the second son’s survival is my bro’s and his wife’s survivals as well…
My brother, I precise, is my younger bro. I don’t have any children of mine – “only” my girlfriend’s. I wonder if I would have lost one if I’d had some…
Mostly, I’m worried about my sister (I have two younger ones, the elder being the mother of two girls). It seems it follows generations.
Such series can make you wonder, can’t they?
Some will say it’s “just bad luck”, but then what is it? What causes it?
Others will suggest it’s “a curse” – but how can that seriously work? Wishing bad to somebody and their offspring, using obscure formulas that would work - how?
Makes no sense… but then again the series is so incredibly regular that it may seem “scheduled” if you look at it when you feel a little weak.
And random, or on the contrary cold determinism don’t sound more satisfying explanations either.
Has anybody here heard or read about such disturbing coincidences?
Cheers.
My family (both on my mother’s and my father’s side) has had very bad luck for about a century, as far as I know at least. You might be a Cartesian, when it comes to serial misfortune you may end up wondering what on earth could explain it.
And by misfortune, I mean a certain number of accidental or early deaths.
So, it all started with some unfortunately quite common losses at the time (the 1910s), when my granddad’s (on my father’s side) 3 sisters died from Spanish flu. My grandfather and his 2 brothers survived and lived 80 to 87 years. Then my grandmother (on my father’s side) lost her only sister at the age of 13 (she was 16 herself) from respiratory failure in the 1930s (there was a 10-year gap between my grandparents).
Then, on my other granddad (my mother’s father’s) side, they were 6 children, my grandfather being the only boy. All of them lost one child, in order of age. My granddad being number 5, he was the 5th to lose his only son (my mum’s brother), in 1991. I discovered him dead at his home by the way (nobody had had any news of him for a couple of weeks, so as the family was worried and I was a student about 8 miles away I went to see what was wrong – his letter box was full of messages from his friends… he had been dead inside the house for two weeks), a very sad loss, dead at 39 from heart failure, he was a very talented and appreciated painter (he did expositions in Paris, Brussels and Bonn), and a musician too. “Accidental suicide”, after two decades on various substances, including uppers and downers – he had once too many that caused heart failure.
Before him there had been 4 premature deaths, each one happening to my granddad’s sisters in order of age, including a 17-year-old girl during some benign surgery…
At my uncle’s funeral, my granddad’s younger sister was all the more in tears that “she was next”, as she said… which didn’t fail to happen, as she lost her elder son who committed suicide a couple of years later.
Then… My brother lost his 4-year-old elder son (my godson) last year in a car accident. He was a very lively, precocious child – eager with learning and doing things. He wasn’t far from being able to read. In retrospect it was like learning was a race for him, he was so active…
He happened to be a VH fan by the way, through my younger bro. He had a set list for my brother to play in his car while driving to school, “Jump”, “She’s the woman”, alongside with AC/DC tunes and my own band’s “Oh yeah”. Of course I can’t listen to those songs on purpose anymore. For my brother, I just can’t imagine how it is, not having him anymore. Unbearable.
His (now 2 year-old) younger son fortunately survived after a 2-week resuscitation. No words can express the pain it is to lose a child, and not more can the relief of learning the little brother is out of danger, and a couple of months later without any after-effects (safe the loss of his brother, now deep inside of him). No need to say the second son’s survival is my bro’s and his wife’s survivals as well…
My brother, I precise, is my younger bro. I don’t have any children of mine – “only” my girlfriend’s. I wonder if I would have lost one if I’d had some…
Mostly, I’m worried about my sister (I have two younger ones, the elder being the mother of two girls). It seems it follows generations.
Such series can make you wonder, can’t they?
Some will say it’s “just bad luck”, but then what is it? What causes it?
Others will suggest it’s “a curse” – but how can that seriously work? Wishing bad to somebody and their offspring, using obscure formulas that would work - how?
Makes no sense… but then again the series is so incredibly regular that it may seem “scheduled” if you look at it when you feel a little weak.
And random, or on the contrary cold determinism don’t sound more satisfying explanations either.
Has anybody here heard or read about such disturbing coincidences?
Cheers.