What does life really mean? What does it offer? How
should I live it? What are the reasons why I must resist evil? And if I do resist
it, what will I benefit? What happens to all my achievements when I die? Will
my death change anything in the world; will everything still be going smoothly?
What will happen to my Facebook account? Will friends still send me messages,
friend requests, and Birthday wishes even when I am no more? Will I still
remember all I went through in life when I die? Will my little world still
remember me? How long will my loved ones mourn me? If I die, will everything
about me in life get closed? Where do dead people go? Will I go there as well?
If I go there, will I fit in? If I fit in, will I still retain the knowledge I
have acquired from the land of the living? How exactly is the land of the dead?
Why are we afraid of dying? If I die, will I be considered a successful person?
These and so many other similar questions keep me wondering very deeply sequel
to the death of my secondary school friend, Abalu, Chiamaka.
Every time I look around the world from my little
environment, I see beauty, technology, fashion, education, satisfaction,
wealth, happiness, comfortableness, and other interesting things that make life
worth living. With these, I do not want to die. On the other hand, I see
suffering, poverty, sadness, homelessness, underdevelopment, sickness,
illiteracy, killings, immorality, deceit, and other things that make life very
miserable. With these, I might wish to die. The most interesting thing I
observe about these two categories is that no matter how well we are deeply
rooted in any of their individuals, we will never be tired of seeking more. And
we just cannot eliminate them from our existence.
One great thing that everyone wishes to achieve in
life is success i.e. being a successful person. But the striking question that
jumps into my mind about this is; “what really does it mean to be a man of
success”? Is it by the number of certificates, the acquisition of wealth and
positions, being very famous? Making global transformations? Being super
intelligent? Getting all the attentions? Just being simply happy with your
friends, family, loved ones, and the society in which you find yourself? Or, is
it all of these coupled together. You can achieve almost all of those and still
are not successful. It’s not either your fame or wealth that determines your
real evaluation. It is the richness of your heart that does; a man, who never
treats his fellow with disdain and contempt, despite their social and cultural
position, is considered successful.
Additionally, we often choose to do evil to get
what we want the way we want it. What do
you gain? Every time I sit and think of why I should do evil, I simply do not
find any reasonable answer no matter how hard I think. After all, everything
you gain out of it will never be yours forever. Hurting people has become the
hobby and interest of most people. Note that this only brings everlasting doom.
Can you give life? Can you replace it? If the answer to these questions is
“No”, so, what reason do you have to do evil? I know that sometimes, we do
“minor” evil unconsciously because of its inevitability in real life existence,
but it is rational that it is that way than otherwise. So, strive to, at least,
minimize the occurrence of evil.
Also note that life is designed in such a way that
if something is not actually meant for you, you can never get it. If you force
yourself to get it, it will never bring you joy, and even if joy comes through
it, it will never last long and will certainly end up in total disaster.
Your education, fame, wealth, positions, and
acquisition are really “not yours”. What is “yours” is your real person that
resides in you. You should not be interested in what the person next to you
has or what he is, rather, pay attention to your real self. Whether you reside in a gutter or you fetch your food from garbage, it doesn’t define your originality. You
should also bear in mind that we all have something but what we have and its level
differ. Thus, you should consider yourself and others, and then use what you
have for the common good, not for the suppression and marginalization of
others.
You see, I have learned not to compare myself to
anyone. Unnecessary comparison only wanes your passion and zeal. A little
attempt to become another person pushes you away from the track of your dreams.
No matter your culture, sexual orientation, gender, and belief, you are okay,
and comparison steals yourself from you. Just believe in yourself and have sincere confidence in your innate capabilities.
Death is a natural phenomenon that visits man.
Imagine a corpse lying in front of you now - ponder on the questions in the
introductory part of this post. Now, put yourself in the shoes of the deceased.
What might be the possible answers? Well, you still have life and you can make
changes.
Finally, life is a long road, which is very short.
The more we live, the more we learn and the more we learn, the more questions
we ask about our existence and our fate after death. Even if these questions
may not have absolute answers, one thing is sure. And that is for us to be
ourselves and live peacefully, genuinely, and virtually with others. You may
not live to be the whole person that you have planned to be, but the little
time you stay on earth matters a lot and a great reward awaits your doings.
Thank you for reading.
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