My Life After Me...

One moment there was a bright light;

Another moment; and there was piercing darkness...

I've always imagined of how my life would be long after I'm gone. My life; the people I love, the words I've spoken and the actions that I've committed. Even after we've crossed the river, we leave behind so much; so how would what I leave behind be, without me?

I've seen many cross over before my eyes; some older than I and some much younger. The common thread that ran through the life-without-them, of these people, was what those whom they left behind, craved for, once they were gone; signs of their presence. This was how he smelt, or this was how his laughter sounded, or this was how the coffee she made tasted...an attempt to recreate, what once was. These are the things that we would be remembered by when we're gone, epitaphs of sorts, that get engraved, not on stone but on the hearts of the people, who were a part of our universe, when we were.

I was recently perusing through the papers, over lunch, when I bumped into the page that spoke of Les Horton, a popular and much loved columnist in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The writer lost his battle to cancer last month. A decade ago, one of his columns, carried his thoughts on death and how he would want to be remembered, long after he would be gone.

“Best epitaphs are those embedded in the heart,” he had written. What a profound and thought provoking idea! Les Horton was of the view that being remembered for a contribution to someone’s life in a way that enlightened the person or simply brought the person lasting pleasure was such a good thing. Lyricist, Majrooh Sultanpuri’s song, ‘Ek din mitt jaayega maati ke mol, furthers this thought, with a gentle reminder, that man is but only dust and the only thing that he would leave behind are his kind words, literally; and metaphorically, the love that he shares with fellow creation.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath; now ponder; what do you believe in so strongly that you'd be willing to die for (Credit: Oprah Winfrey)? That my friend, is exactly your epitaph, your personality; that is who you truly are!

Note by author: If you notice, the spacing, between the lines, from the fourth paragraph onwards, is relatively more than that in the first three paragraphs. This is because, I've 'copy-pasted' the latter half of this blog from a previously written, unfinished article. Strangely, I'd titled the previous article 'My Life After Me', as well. I believe that this is not a co incidence; I believe that this article was meant to manifest. No, there is no such thing as a co incidence!