Fragile* - Sting

"Because we are food for worms, lads. Because believe it or not, each and everyone of us in this room is going to one day stop breathing, turn cold, and die..."

(Quote taken from the movie, Dead Poets Society)

We are all gonna be fertilising daffodils...

The first week of work in 2011 passed by pretty quickly - i'm sure setting the tone of how things are gonna be for the rest of the year.

As the year started, there was one recurring theme that seemed to be taking place - morbid as it is, that theme is death.

The year started with the despicable and terrible murders of Christians in some parts of the world - more notably, in Egypt. In the week past, we also learned of the death of an actor that i regard highly, Pete Postlethwaite. Throughout the week, there were sad news of relatives of frens and colleagues passing away - both young and old.

In a way, this is a good reminder for me as the year starts - that our lives are fragile. It is also unpredictable - but one thing is for sure - and sadly it is that we will all one day die.

So what should be our response? Well, after saying those words quoted at the start of this post, the character of John Keating asked his students to take a look at the photos of old students. He then said this:-

They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you.

Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils.

But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it?

"Carpe..." hear it? "Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary".

I do not know how long i have left on this terrestrial ball - but as long as God lends me breathe, i hope to make my life extraordinary. A good reminder at the beginning of the year! As stated in Ephesians 5v15-16, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity...".

*Written as a tribute to Ben Linder, an American engineer, murdered in 1987 in Nicaragua. The song was also used on many ads after the 9/11 incident.