In the past few weeks I have had to ask myself some very pertinent questions about life, the answer to which is to be humble, grateful and appreciative of the little things in life, particularly the little time we all have to spend here on earth, not by right (for I have none) but by unmerited, incomprehensible benevolence of the Creator of all things.
This past week I have watched with humility the unprecedented outpouring of grief as well as of tributes at the passing away of an iconic athlete, one of the greatest basketball players that ever played the game, a man whose reputation transcends the field of sport where he reigned supreme.
This global reaction at the death of an African-American brother, Kobe Bryant, is not because he died, as death is an inevitability for all homo sapiens and ‘will come when it will come’, but because of how well he lived and how much he impacted the world in various uncommon ways. Imperfect as he was in many ways, the stories of his contributions to making a difference in the world have been truly inspiring and revealing.
I started to think that It is the measure of the difference we make to our world whilst we are alive that becomes the measure of the world’s reaction when we die.
I got to really know Kobe Bryant after he died, and I am left with the feeling that even in prematurely exiting the world at only 41, those years were packed to the brim with incredible feats of challenges, triumphs and successes as a result of determination, hard work, commitment, and never giving up on anything. He lived and experienced a full and dramatic life till the very end.
It may be unkind to think that way, but even the circumstances of his death, had to be octane ‘drama’. He had his 13-year old daughter with him when they both died, along with 7 others in a helicopter crash on a hill side outside Los Angeles where he lived and played out his entire professional basketball career, amassing an almost unprecedented legion of trophies and personal awards.
He died leaving behind questions that may never be answered: why did he choose to fly on a day when the weather was so bad that other flights were grounded? What happened to a twin-engine helicopter reputed to be one of the most sophisticated, safest and most reliable in the world? Questions without answers!
His death touched me as if I knew him personally. That’s how it also touched most people around the world. He was a great man and a super athlete.
His death, if nothing else, contains several messages to be delivered to the world: reminder of the fragility of life; our short mortality; and our responsibility to make a positive impact on our family, community, environment and the world whilst we are alive; and a reminder that the privilege and opportunity to do anything before the knell summons us ‘to heaven or to hell’ are not earned but gifted to us by the elements.
Kobe Bryant was heaven’s messenger to the world. He came, he saw and he left an indelible mark in earth.
