Death hath no shame

Today is 1 May 2022. A big day for me as it marks a decade since I tied the knot. On a day I would have reflected on love, I have chosen to reflect on death. The good book in Ecclesiastes 7v2 says 'Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart' NLT. More often than not, valuable lessons are learnt in times of tragedy than when things are going well.

Reflecting on death makes me question my priorities and what really matters in this life,

Reflecting on death makes me realise that life is unpredictable,

Reflecting on death makes me realise that it has no shame. When one thinks it would exercise restraint - it strikes!

Reflecting on death makes me realise that we are all candidates - any day,

Reflecting on death makes me imagine what I shall be remembered for, after death has visited,

Reflecting on death makes me realise how much I should cherish those I love while I still have them,

Reflecting on death makes me ponder about the other side of this life,

Reflecting on death makes me understand the reality that no matter how good or bad, things will not always continue the way they are, one day the music will stop.

Reflecting on death makes me realise that it always leaves a painful tale - and I am going to reflect on one such.

A few days ago, a young popular Zimbabwean standup comedian passed away. I will reflect on four areas about his death.

He was 31. Death can seem very far away until it visits someone within your age bracket or younger, that is when reality dawns that it can be anyone. There is something about a young person dying that just hurts. I guess it is because our minds are programmed to think that the young still have a long life ahead of them - until a young life is cut short.

He died of cancer. Death due to cancer hurts. It hurts to see your loved one deteriorate every day under your watch, and you feel helpless because there is nothing you can do about your pain and their pain. His life was going on like any other person until the day he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and things were never the same again - such can happen to anyone.

He had great potential. He was an award winning comedian who had lots of potential to succeed but his potential has now been left untapped. Death will not leave us to fulfill our potential. Death will not excuse us because we have great plans good enough to change the world - because it hath no shame. Because of death, many great ideas are buried in the ground today together with those who carried them.

He was his mother's only child. Death did not care to leave his mother empty - because it hath no shame. I can only imagine the pain of losing your only child, worse still at such a young age. But such is the cruelty of death and there are endless tales of how people were robbed by it.

My intention is not to depress but to remind us of reality. Many out there are struggling to deal with past grief, others are in the process of grieving and many more will grieve tomorrow. There is nothing much we can do about it other than facing the reality and finding help in dealing with it. The reality that we can lose those we love the most or have us taken away from them anytime is real - because death hath no shame.

Happy 10th anniversary my ❤️.