OUR OWN MORTALITY

At one point, we will all die. That is a fact which cannot be changed. It is not something we can ignore. Yet, we go about our days as if we are immortal. Pretending that our lives will continue into eternity.

There are certain times when we are faced with our own mortality. Especially when the age of the deceased is close to our age. Such was the case tonight when I went to my iPhone’s home page and saw the shocking news that Matthew Perry had died. He was only a year older than I am now. My own father was six years older than I am now, when he died.

In the case of Matthew Perry, I recall watching him on Friends religiously in the 1990s. He was Chandler Bing. The funny one. The one with all of the sarcasm and endless jokes. My favourite character from the six main characters, aside from the free-spirited Phoebe. And over 20 years later, I would watch reruns. I even bought the entire DVD collection to watch again whenever I wanted something to uplift my spirits.

It was surreal to see the developing news story. I kept looking for signs that this was some sort of mistake or joke. Albeit a sick joke. But when I searched for his official Instagram account, I noticed his latest posts were rather cryptic and might have hinted to his death. The final photo of him in his hot tub at night alluding to something happening in the future. The haunting words ‘Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?’ and ‘Do you know what I mean?’. Cries for help, it appears. Perhaps it was planned. In any case, it is a sad ending for a young man who led a troubled life.

Some people get to live many years. Others are taken away from this world far too soon. Sometimes we waste the years we have by complaining about insignificant things instead of appreciating the fact that we get to live another day. Things which, in the end, take away precious time where we could have been living and enjoying our experiences. Our own mortality is inevitable. But until such time comes, we should strive to live our lives fully and appreciate the time we have.