A Dash of Reality…

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. – James 4:14

It seems that whenever there is a high profile individual, political figure or celebrity death everyone across the globe is affected… And when the person is somewhat young and in the prime of their lives the impact is even more severe.  In essence… it just “hits different”.  This goes for the recent death of Kobe Bryant earlier this week.  When the news broke of the tragedy I was in utter disbelief.  As a matter of fact, I learned about it via Facebook from one of my friends posts where my initial response was, and I quote, “Y’all lying…”  When?!  Why?!  How?!  All questions that had yet to be answered at that time, but would be as the day went on.  I personally remember when he emerged on the scene as a young man, being drafted to the NBA straight out of high school and taking Brandy to prom like it was yesterday.  And now, at the age of 41… just a year younger than my older sister, he’s gone.  Leaving behind several families devastated by not only his loss but the loss of his daughter and others aboard the helicopter that also lost their lives and millions of fans that mourn for him. 

But, why are we so hurt?  Majority of the people mourning and posting condolences never even met the man.  He never knew our names, never saw our faces, never shook our hand but yet we grieve and mourn like one of his family members.  Why is that?… By no means am I saying you shouldn’t care or mourn the loss of life because it is indeed just that; a tragic loss of a life cut far too short.  And I’m definitely not telling you how you should grieve because everyone has their own way to process death and tragedy.  But, I am curious as to why we, as normal civilians and regular everyday people, get so vested into the lives, and ultimately the deaths, of celebrities.

When we see people of that status… celebrities, super star athletes and the like, we tend to place them on pedestals.  Like shiny new trophies that we just won or demi gods that we are infatuated with.  We know their likes and dislikes.  We keep up with their stats and games.  We purchase their clothing or shoes to show support and to be just a little bit more like them.  With the help of the media, we become so engulfed with their lives on and off the screen or court that when something terrible happens we feel as if it happened to one of our own. And in some ways we forget that they are human… just like us.  They make mistakes.  They get into trouble. They get angry and say things they shouldn’t.  They have financial struggles.  They have health issues.  They get hurt… They break bones and bleed red… And yes, they die; often unexpectedly. 

I think we forget that… We forget that they are not invincible; that they will not live forever.  So when tragedy hits, it takes us all by surprise.  Like a slap in the face, we are jolted back to the reality that we, just like them, are mortal.  Which then places us face to face with the limitations of our own mortality.  Our time is limited.  Not to sound morbid, but with every passing year, that is one less birthday, one less anniversary, one less Thanksgiving, one less Christmas, or one less New Year’s eve you have left on this earth.  It makes us ask the tough questions about our lives and in some cases, what we have been wasting our time on. 

In times like these, I believe that the world stops and takes note that tomorrow truly is not promised to anyone… not you, not me, not Kobe…  Yes, we know that death is inevitable; but through the hustle and bustle of each day, each month and each year I believe we lose sight of that fact.  It takes situations like the death of a super star to snap us out of the trance of the rat race and back to focusing on what’s really important… Living.  We get so entrapped in chasing dreams and “securing the bag” that we forget to chase and secure a life worth living, we forget to take time to spend those precious moments with family and friends, and we forget tell the people that matter most that we love them and that we care.  We feel as if we will always have time but in actuality we don’t. 

They say that the space between your birth and your death is the most important space there is… the dash.  What have you done with your dash so far?  Looking back, are you pleased with what you’ve accomplished?  Have you impacted or helped to change the lives of others?  Do you have memories of adventures with family or friends? Is that time filled with laughter?…  And looking forward, what will you do with the rest of the dash you have left? This my friends is life. The only one you have; this is not a dress rehearsal for the main feature. Take it… Enjoy it… Love it… LIVE IT!!!!

I hope that with this recent snap to reality that we all wake up… I mean really wake up, to the fact that tomorrow, not matter how much we plan, is not promised to any of us.  For our lives are “like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.”  Make the most of your dash.