“Life is for the living and if we live well enough, our death may as well be a light bulb moment for those we leave behind.”
I love life and in loving life I follow individuals who do amazing things in life that amaze me. In a way these extraordinary feats that people have gone through make me question my mortality. I know I will one day die, that’s a fact and whenever it happens I am ready but before that day comes I’ll live. I am currently re-reading “The Audacity of Hope” by Barrack Obama and in the prelude he talks about his chronic restlessness. He goes further to talk about his experiences after losing his first try at the senate seat and coming to terms with his mortality in some form. It’s a light bulb moment, not in the innovative/technological space but rather in the social, philosophical and psychological realm of things.
When this year started, we all had high hopes, plans drafted and everyone set out for a magnificent year of success and blessings. At least I’m glad I wished my friends good health and they are well from as far as I can tell. On the other hand, following emergence of a global pandemic everything got to a crashing halt. This caused disruption to lives, livelihoods and this is part of life. We hope and wish we weather the storm and come out stronger for the next phase. Unfortunately, some people will not be able to witness after COVID-19 (AC). Some of these people are at the top of this script I am writing and another legend is after the next two paragraphs.
2020 took Kobe Bryant from us. A legend in the basketball world who transferred his energy and power from athleticism into making a difference in the lives of others. I won’t lie that I had known him for a long time. I became a fan of basketball during my high school years and on one holiday I happened to go to a cyber in my home town and googled basketball stars. By luck I got to read the name. I later came to read more about his life, the controversies and court cases that followed him through his career. He was a workaholic and some critics alluded to the fact that he might have had some insecurities that were pushing him to the limits. I can neither confirm nor refute but for sure he had his head high all through the worst of moments, won championships and ultimately retired a great player. His life post basketball wasn’t less of phenomenal and when his flight crashed the pain was there. A great man had left us but we had to move on. He inspired generations with the “Mamba Mentality.” That’s what he left us.
Chadwick Boseman (King T’Challa) then left us in the last month. After a courageous battle with colon cancer he succumbed. It’s posthumously that we had the world relive the stories about his experiences and the heart warming ones for that matter. He touched lives at his worst of moments and gave hope in his death. The most phenomenal movie he acted “Black Panther” won hearts and will continue to do so. That’s the power of living a life.
This morning I got up to the passing of William H. Gates Sr., the father to Bill Gates, Microsoft Founder. If you are among my friends who know how much of a fanatic I am of Microsoft and the company culture during Bill Gates tenure and now Satya Nadella era then you can imagine the feeling. Having followed a script you get to appreciate the fine details behind the craft of the master and fall in love with their workmanship. That’s what it felt for me looking at the contribution he had in Bill Gates’ life to the person he is today. From nurturing him, letting him pursue his dreams, challenging him and finally joining him at the Gates Foundation. It’s through such a journey that you realize that there’s just so much to life that being in a rat-race. He lived and let others live in his life. As he bowed out, the world has a lesson to learn, a value system to adopt and most importantly a role model to emulate.
“With or without compliments or recognition, keep pursuing your dreams, stay rooted on your values and most importantly extend a hand when and where you can. You never know who needs it.”
Ps. On that note, a friend of mine pursuing Bachelor of Science in Paramedicine at MMUST is having a hard time raising school fees for his third year of education. If you can help him out, please contact him at: otienoaustine392@gmail.com. Thank you for the support.