Morbidity

We have always known that life is unpredictable, including when it will end. Thus, there is always the saying of “Live life to the fullest” or “Live without regrets”. As life expectancy gradually increases with increasing affluence, medical advancement and emphasis on healthy lifestyle, we have again take tomorrow as granted, especially when one is in his 20s, 30s, or 40s.

There seems to be a recent spate of sudden unexpected deaths of seemingly healthy people. The reasons for their passing away are often not completely explained. The many unanswered questions to their loved ones’ passing away made it more difficult for the surviving family and friends to bring a closure to their loss and grievances.

Although we know death awaits everyone at the end of our journey, we do not know when and how we will leave this world. Many wish that they can leave with dignity, wishes fulfilled and perhaps without being plagued by prolonged sickness. Many hope that their passing away can be as painless as possible for both themselves and their loved ones. Yet, just as we cannot choose our births, we also cannot choose our deaths.

Since we do not know when it will all end for us, we should treat each day, hour, minute or even second as a gift. We should fully utilise this gift to minimize any regret. Unfortunately, when we are so preoccupied in the rat race, dreams are shelved, loved ones are neglected and happiness forgotten. We assume that there is always a tomorrow.

What if there is no next second, minute, hour or day?