YOU ONLY DIE ONCE. (Y.O.D.O.)

Hello my friend(s), I pray that your week is going on smoothly even though it may be chilly & the clouds look pregnant with rain. I am merely guessing the topic of this article has gotten you a bit off guard. No worries, I will dive deep like a scuba diver to clarify its meaning or paint a clearer picture like Leonardo da Vinci of the famed Mona Lisa.

We are so used to the phrase of  'you only live once' & have no second thought about dying. This is the truth, one day you (even I) will leave these earthly realm & shall be confined 6 feet underground in our final resting cocoon (or as preferred by others during cremation, being engulfed by the flames of the fiery furnace). 

It is such a pity that a good number of us live like as if tomorrow will not come. How short sighted we are, we don't appreciate the very gift of life given to us by the Almighty. Let us go through some examples to clarify this conversation/the train of thought. Every day that you see the sun rise you are living, but in the after life you are no more. 

When in a car we refuse to belt up terming it as being old fashioned & deem it an enslavement denying one the liberty of movement. Along our various highways & roads we opt to sprint across the road like gazelles, yet just a few meters away there is a foot bridge to enable you cross the road majestically like a peacock. 

When driving your car you decide that you want to re-enact the fast & furious on the streets of the city & decide that this is the moment of the pedal to the metal. One fails to realize that the grim ripper is just smiling knowing that soon you will be within his icy grasp. Why is it that we live like as if we think we have nine lives like a cat? 

Is it because we are on adrenaline fuel? is it because of not caring? Is it that we see it that we are still young? Is it that we believe that tomorrow will not reach? Is it that we are loaded with cash we do not know what to do with it? Is it that we are in the moment of it is either now or never? These are just a few questions to chew over & criticize the direction we are heading into.

You will see one drink him/herself silly thinking one can consume all the alcohol produced by the breweries deeming oneself a guzzler. Sadly this is the reality of the current generation. Diving in head first, thinking later about the consequences. My friend, you shall sing kayumbete as you shall be beckoned towards the light at the end of the tunnel. 

It is upon you to take these precious moments granted to you & count your blessings. The imbalance in our lives is like the distortion of the pendulum swing as the current number of us visiting hospitals is like bees being attracted to nectar from flowers. Have you not noticed that number of the younger people is reducing drastically on a daily basis?

In the local news, there will be breaking headlines like "lives lost in yet another fatal accident". The statistical readings on the increase of high blood pressure patients among the youth being at an all time high (no offence this had been deemed a thing for the elderly). Suicidal tendencies on the increase, breaking news here & there of people jumping of buildings.

It is sad & unfortunate that parents are now the ones burying their children instead of the other way around. One would have thought we would be the ones up & about going green, doing the healthy meals (veggie shakes & the like), going for hikes, going for runs but woe unto us the adrenaline rush is on overdrive.

Every day you wake up & want to do something absurd, ask yourself is it really worth it. Otherwise, exiting the natural parameter is as easy as 'A,B,C,...'. It is crucial you take time to take in that which holds you together, be it God/Allah, your partner, your family, your friend(s) & so forth. 

It is stated that the journey of a thousand miles(/kilometers) starts with one single step, but sometimes the leap of faith can take you further. Let this be your food for thought.