I logged onto Facebook after coming home from work today to find out that an acquaintance of mine from university, an Indian girl a couple of years younger than me, had passed away earlier today. I was both shocked and saddened - I had worked with the girl in question in my last orientation, and we had gotten along quite well. We didn't really talk much after the orientation had finished, but I still felt a slight platonic connection to her whenever I saw her around campus.
I later found out that her passing was likely caused by dengue. This struck a chord with me, as just over a year ago I myself had been suffering from the same disease. Dengue is quite common in this country, and people usually survive - I once had a teacher who had multiple bouts of dengue and is still alive today - it just happened that this girl, sadly, wasn't as fortunate.
When you're in your mid-twenties, it's very likely that you've experienced death among your friends or family members. Personally, my father passed away of leukemia when I was eight, my grandfather just last year, plus other distant relatives. However, this would be the first time that I've seen it happen to a friend or acquaintance of a similar age. It's not a great feeling.
Nothing is certain in this life besides death. Seeing people in your life leave it through such harrowing circumstances only serves to remind you of that inescapable fact - someday you, too, will die, as will everyone you've ever known and loved. This life is only temporary, and is nothing but a pit stop in which to prepare for what lies ahead. It's depressing, but it's the truth. The sooner you accept it and move on, the better.
I wonder what atheists think about death. Do they believe things just stop there? Do they believe in an afterlife? I, for one, would like to think that all that we do on this Earth is not for nothing. After all, what's the point if we're all going to die anyway? Why bother even doing anything if nothing will come out of it?
We could literally die at any moment, with no way of knowing how or when or where or why. Have we done enough in this world to ensure that we go in peace? Are we satisfied with what we've done? These are the big questions we should constantly be asking ourselves. As the Prophet Muhammad SAW said: "The most intelligent person is the one who often remembers death."
