On Death and Dying

Death is never an easy thing to think about. But sometimes circumstances force you to think about death.

There have been a lot of deaths in the news lately. The first one that got my attention was that of James Brown on Christmas morning. I remember thinking to myself that the man did not get to celebrate Christmas day, or get to see the New Year. The man had such passion and energy that one though he would live to be a hundred! This was the hardest workingman in show business! The Godfather of soul music. May his soul rest in peace.

Then there was the holiday wishes phone call on Christmas day to a relative which coincided with the evacuation of a gentlemen, whom I do not know, to a hospital after just suffering a stroke and had gone into a coma prior to my phone call. A follow up call two days later confirmed him dead.

Someone also mentioned the story of the gentleman who traveled from the United States to spend the holidays with his friends and family in his native country and was shot dead by policemen at a checkpoint in Owerri, Nigeria.

Then there was the news of President Ford’s passing away.

And as much as I tried to tune out the news from Iraq, there were headlines all over the place that Saddam Hussein would be hanged in thirty days or less. This one really got my mind working about how much we take life for granted until death comes knocking. Death is something that happens to other people. But what if it is me and my time. How would I face death. I wonder.

I also wonder what goes on in people’s minds as they approach death. Any, all kinds of death. The sudden and unexpected kind, and the kind of death that you know is coming, either through terminal illness or impending execution. A friend once mentioned to me that he was drowning as a young man and was certainly about to die. He narrated that his experience was quite peaceful. Yet a sense of dread or fright takes over most people when we think of death or dying. Is it the fear of pain or of the unknown? I wonder.

I know that we will all die eventually. Somehow. Someday. But how does one come to terms with the inevitability of death? How does one prepare for and face death? How do I?

I do not have the answers today. Maybe I never will. But I can speculate on preparing for and facing my own death.

My death, whenever and wherever it happens, will be the end of the life that I have now and I will like and hope to face it with courage, and without fear or regret. The way to achieve that is to make the most of the life I have now to fully fulfill my potential, and to strictly adhere to the tenets of rightful living. Not knowing when that final moment will occur makes every second important, and count towards finding fulfillment so that when it does occur, I will be confident with the knowledge that I made the utmost use of my time here, and accept the transition to the hereafter.

I will prepare for this by mapping out my life in accordance with the dictates of my beliefs, values and mission of this lifetime. I will also prepare for the afterlife with the legacy that I will leave behind for my myself and my loved ones. My personal legacy will be continuation of the work that I do to make a difference in people’s lives in whatever way.

And for my loved ones, the legacy will be the knowledge I would pass on, the education I would give them and the financial freedom they would enjoy.

Speaking of this, I will have to find the time to review and make elections on choices for our wills, retirement plans, college savings plan and all other investment tools towards achieving this. The time to do this is now.

I hope you take the time out to do this as well. Life is finite. I wish you a life of health, wealth and fulfillment now, in 2007 and beyond.