September 30, 2021

I don’t know exactly what Neil Young had in mind when he sang “It’s better to burn out than to fade away”. But, I’m not sure I agree with him. When Kurt Cobain included that line on his suicide note, even Neil admitted that he was shaken. 

There is something to be said for fading away, if by fading away we mean the overweening ego fades into the background. I’ve seen a bumper sticker that says, “Love = No Ego.” 

John the Baptist, fulfilling his role to point to Jesus, said “He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less.” (John 3:30) That is precisely the kind of fading away that I desire.

“Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee, and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always to thy glory and the welfare of thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.” (A Prayer of Self-Dedication – BCP p. 832)