Thursday, March 26, 2009

DEATH AND ITS EFFECTS

I want to begin by saying that we hold the destiny of our future in our hands... until someone robs us of that promise when they take our lives. Arise from where they were lurking and ambush us. That's roughly what happened to a fellow student last night, I'm yet to find out the details.

Its funny when I start thinking about death, this time it was really scary. It's the news of Eric's death that got me to thinking, including how I received the news and the things about life and death that I 'discovered' (from a book I was reading) preceding this event. I had travelled back home so I wasn't in campus. I received a text that I read just once and couldn't get myself to read it again. It was short and to the point, there's got to be a universal layout for writing bad news cuz this text had a horror connotation to it. There is something about how it was formatted that instilled fear... grief... so I called, as if to confirm. Or maybe that's why I called. Hearing it was even harder, confirming it only made it more horrific. It was true.

First thing I thought was; life is short. I mean, I knew him! It was like a wake up call that one day I too am going to die and it doesn't have to be in old age cuz that could have been me. I can die even tomorrow... or now! I started thinking, how aweful it is when you come back home just to be told the person you talked to yesterday ain't breathing anymore... a person you knew and loved. But death is not a mystery, its part of life. You are born and you die, right? People die every day, we don't even notice until its our loved ones.

Just last week my roommate travelled all the way to Naivasha to attend a funeral service, his cousin had passed. He had been instructed not to miss by other living relative. The cousin was a she, a mother, a wife... basically advanced in life compared to us.. him. I listened how he explained to us what happened and why he had to travel the following day, so casually.

"My cousin passed."

That's it. And no one even asked what had happened! I did, after a long pause. To me, there was something amiss. I suddenly got scared. People die and they are forgoten.

When Eric died, the only thing that scared me is that I knew him. But when we hear in the news that two people died in a road accident. We think in our thoughts; those are not so many, what about the people who knew the two? Even one life is worth saving. At least let's recognize life's worth.

The Afterlife and what death means... all I know, I don't want to be scared of death, that's what I keep saying. That's what I want to achieve, I want to embrace death when it comes rather than fight it. I want my last thought to be- I lived a good life. But I want to die old due to natural causes.

8 Educated Opinions Yet:

Shiko-Msa said...

Sorry for the loss of your friend.

Death these days has become like just another normal occurrence. That's too sad. Not too long ago the news that someone had died would hush a whole village. Funerals were rare and far between. Not any more. Like Like when we buried my late Dad there were 2 more funerals on the same day in the neighborhood. That was previously unheard of.

Wyndago said...

Just so I can one day still remember, if I'll need to, this is in memory of Eric Mwenda Nyaga. R.I.P

lulu said...

i know i have gotten those messages blunt to the point about someone i never expected passing, passing
and it makes me sad that their lives were stole

Wyndago said...

I guess there's not a good way of breaking bad news!

Our Kid said...

Condolences.

Death should never be reduced to mere statistics as some of our journalists do when they break news to people.

I agree that every loss of life, brings grief to those who know those people and some sensitivity is required. So when people hear there has been an accident and are told 2 people died and they say, 'Oh, that's not too many!' it is very insensitive.

We all live to die another day.

Wyndago said...

Thanks Our Kid.

I guess some things are never to be gotten used to. And as human beings, we forget. It's upon each one of us to remind ourselves of the essence of life from time to time.

Shishi said...

Condolences.

Death scares me, im trying to overcome the fear, its so scary thinking today you could be here and tomorrow you aint, thats why at the end of everyday i try to make it right with everyone..

Wyndago said...

Yea shishi, one day we will overcome! ...Death, that is. For now, just keep close to you God.

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