I will not mince words or lie to you; I am dying, and so are you. Each day brings with it death for us all. No, I am not trying to sound pessimistic (nor sound like a doomsayer; you have the Book of Revelation for that).
Scientifically speaking, the human body regularly “dies” since the body undergoes apoptosis—the fancy term for cell death. About 60 billion cells die inside all human beings every single day. Thankfully, this process is not as harmful as it sounds; apoptosis is a means to regulate bodily functions such as the development of organs in infants or skin tissue reparation.
There is, however, more to expiring than just the metaphysical and cellular “rotting” in the inside. There is also the issue of aging, and why we can never cheat death at that department. Our bodies grow weary and weaker as time and experience pass us by. In essence, we are all wired to turn off someday. If disease and/or old age will not take us, something—or someone—will.
On the subject of ends, one can only be too familiar with the recent hype about the year 2012. No doubt, the talk of the Mayan calendar’s ominous finish at the said year has generated enough interest to launch apocalyptic (not counting the zombie kind) movies, shows and other forms of media to cater to a people only too curious to know what happens in the end.
For all those with a rather masochistic urge to know how the world goes boom, let me tell you that the “end” is happening. Right now. It does not even need a freak meteor or a deadly viral outbreak for it to begin.
Flash floods. Earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions. The occasional murder. Heck, even the recent mysterious avian casualties. Is that not enough death to convince you that our world has always been, and will always be, of death? Why the fascination over a supposed deadline for all mankind when even now, people are dropping like flies?
I am reminded of a scene in the old alien film, Independence Day (which, according to rumors, was supposed to be getting a sequel—see previous mention of movies cashing in on “the end”). In that particular scene, a minor character, joined by other like-minded individuals, wanted to establish contact with the aliens in the hope that they can make peace.
These people were on top of a skyscraper, with the alien’s UFO hovering over it. The aliens, deciding it was high time they started warming up the death ray’s batteries, opened their ship’s hull. The silly humans were entranced by the light spectacle, only to be fried seconds later—the skyscraper included in the destruction. I recall this certain image because these idiots best reflected those who, in real life, are enthralled by the strange, the mysterious—the obviously dangerous. Seriously, who in his right mind would be standing beneath a UFO?
Curiosity killed the cat. Funny part is, being squished by a falling celestial object, being burned to a crisp by cosmic rays, or drowning in miles deep worth of water—these things are the least of the kitty’s concern because they have not happened yet.
Alright, so it is not funny to begin with (so sue me and my at-times dry sense of humor), but one can see that I disdain this rising curiosity for death—for the End of Days, the Four Horsemen and the entire shebang of angelic hosts and trumpet-blaring—because it has always been (even before these apocalyptic movies) so close and personal to you and me.
When was the last time you wept for a relative who had passed on? Have you watched the news about some calamity striking a foreign locale (that is eerily also a popular tourist destination)? Where were you when the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 struck? Death was there. Death is here. Death, quite frankly, is forever; and a natural part of the cycle of life.
With all this talk of corpses and killing, one should still not lose hope. Just because we are all headed to a cozy spot six feet under as a cold cadaver (or as a smoldering heap of ash or a pile of indescribable fleshy bits, etc.) does not mean we have to lose hope and give up on living.
It is precisely because our lives are numbered, dated and the expiry date hidden that we have to live our lives to the fullest. Carpe diem, some would say. Cliché aside, there are better things to do in life rather than ponder about how the London 2012 Olympics would be canceled out of fear of the End.
So I challenge you—you who face death as we speak—to live with it. We are all dying and it is about time we started truly living.
