Gone too soon

We always say “gone too soon” if we know someone who has passed away at an early age or who still has more to do in life. And though we accept the inevitability of death, we always beg if only one can have more years so he can do more good things for others, then so much the better.

Gone too soon for people who could have more years to inspire others and to be like them. As they have started touching so many lives, we want them to continue touching another round of empty lives. We all need idols, guides, and mentors to attain greater heights and purposeful lives.

And most probably we can say that the passing of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant is a classic example of life that is gone too soon. He has inspired many generations of basketball players. He inspired as he mentored his own daughter to follow his footsteps. And although he has retired from basketball but he could have done more. Gone too soon.

Just like in the ballad of American musician Michael Jackson, the one who has gone too soon is like a comet blazing across the evening sky, like a rainbow fading in the twinkling of an eye and like the loss of a sunlight on a cloudy afternoon.

We always admire people who have great contributions to humanity. And so we always use their lives as templates to better an entire race. And so when they pass away so early we will miss them so dearly and we wish they could have stayed longer with us.

Diana, Princess of Wales, died at age 36 after being involved in a deadly car accident could have inspired more young women out there to champion women empowerment.

Martin Luther King, Jr. who died at age 39 could have advanced and led more civil rights movements through nonviolence and civil disobedience, tactics his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi helped inspire.

Anne Frank died in early March 1945 when she was 15 years old. In flesh, she could have continued to inspire young women to endure the physical and emotional pain in a Nazi prison camp, and continued to write stories that would inspire lost souls.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died on December 5, 1791 when he was 35 years old. It would have been so much fascination for the next generation after his if he has lived more to produce more musical geniuses.

And above all else, Jesus Christ himself who died at age 33 could have been with us in flesh, and would have continued His journey with us. And probably it would be easier to convince the young to believe because miracles happen before their eyes.

The truth we have been seeking is death. Yet death is also a seeker, forever seeking us. And for those great men and women who have met death, whether they are prepared or not, they are at peace as they have left an imprint to the next generation.

The world is now undoubtedly without the bright lights, but their spirit will live on through the kindness and compassion of all who knew and loved them. Their memories will live on.