The Actual Enemy - Against Death

 By Ben Marsh - Posted at Substack:

Published May 9, 2026

“I cannot wait to celebrate when IT happens”

I’ve seen this talk before too many times about people of whatever persuasion. Of late against Donald Trump. The “IT” being death. But it was said of Obama, even with pastors quoting scripture about death.

But to speak so is to become a friend of death.

And death is the enemy.

This is our central tension: that we have centered people as the harbingers or agents of death because of our understandings of what they are accomplishing in the world. How many celebrated when Luigi Mangione murdered the CEO of UHC. They’ve given over $1.5 million to his legal defense fund. There are hashtags. There are:

Cougars for Luigi

Celebrating death seems to be a theme. The idea is that someone is getting their “just desserts” or “just rewards.” As though their death is some grant cosmic reckoning for what they have done in life.

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