Death and the great-grandchildren: a disaster in the offing....

There's one thing that's been on my mind ever since Jim had his second stroke: so far as I know, his condition has not been adequately explained to his great-grandchildren. Now that it looks like he can die a happy man knowing that his grandson has achieved worldly success, there's one question I have to ask myself: How are they gonna screw up telling JonBenet and EatDirt about death? Are they gonna make the same mistake that the guy on Funky Winkerbean did and send out mixed signals that hopelessly confuse and anger the child? Are they gonna tell them anything at all? Are they gonna lie outright? Or, as I fear, are they gonna warp them by having everyone's favorite pseudo-hippie freak Elly explain things. It seems obvious that Elly believes in an afterlife of some sort so they can take comfort in the fact that he'l continue somehow. The problem is that it's not the same Next World their future classmates, who probably attend church more regularly, believe in. If I had to sum up Elly's belief system in one word, it would be this: Jedi. Her vision of the post-living is rather indeterminate, I should think. She doesn't really believe in the same afterlife as promised by the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) or the cycles of rebirth that Hinduism and Buddhism hold as truth. Her belief is in some sort of abstract energy field that cherry-picks the most self-serving, ego-gratiftying elements of all religious traditions. The youngest Passivesons' futures seem obvious: it'll Meredith asking when Jesus will meet the Easter Bunny forever.