There are a couple of things I fear in my life. I fear losing a loved one, I fear ridicule for ridicule sake especially one without justification, I fear not being as good as I think I am and I fear growing up a failure and poor. All of these though pale in comparison to my fear of death.
The reaper must be rubbing his hands together with glee if he can read English.
I think I read somewhere that most men think more about sex within the course of the day, than anything else. Thoughts of my mortality come a close second. Third is how I’m going to die. Would I have any last words and if I did who would hear them and what impact would it make on their lives or on that of my family. Would I say anything worthwhile other than “FUCK!” ? Would I die slowly, alone, or in the company of incompetent surgeons? List goes on and on
The whole notion of leaving this plane of existence, that’s if there is another plane, and having all bodily remains of yourself eviscerated with time bothers me. I matter. Goddammit I matter. I didn’t come into this world after nine months of conception, which was a product of some months of courtship then marital consummation, to then vanish from it like vapour. Even if my contributions to the world at age 30 might not be as solid as that of my peers, I do matter.
I suspect my fear of dying is a product of my fear of dying unfulfilled. Dying without accomplishing even half of the things I have planned for myself and the world. I mean I live in a country with a shit movie industry and I have plans to change that. I grew up with some money, big house and a car, then lost it all when dad died. So I want to taste the good life all over again. That’s not too much to ask is it?
I want to see the eyes of my unborn children swimming around in my ball sack. See if they inherit my nasty smoking habit, hair colour, nose, size and shape of head, intelligence without the depression, see if they turn out to be mostly girls or boys, gay or straight or transgender.
This kind of shit matters goddamit and the thought not seeing them because I could have a fatal heart attack, or stroke, or get stabbed or shot dead without warning, really pains me.
Don’t you all wish the universe in its infinite mysterious ways tattooed our foreheads, or somewhere most obscure, with our expiry dates the moment we’re pushed from vagina or cut out from womb? For example, at birth this would be my tag/stamp/tattoo on my butt cheek
Name: Stephen Nelson
Expiry date: so and so
Side Note: Better get a move on son, clock’s ticking
Yeah so what if something like this would take out mystery from life? So what, who cares? Some of us need surety to make us function.
May be the whole idea of mortality should never have been discovered or identified by human beings. It should just have been one of those things that just happen and we let it. Without any lengthy philosophical questions or discourse. We just accept it and move on with our lives.
Animals die all the time. I’ve never seen any kind of them gather round each other to mourn their dead.
Who has ever heard of funeral rites being held for a rat, by fellow rats?
Anyway… In the words of AL Kennedy, Onwards!
By Stephen Nelson
Writer /Fx Trader