By Eze Echie
“So, he died at last?” was the probing question that greeted us in one of our discussions recently. Just a few days ago, we were having an informal conversation somewhere and while the conversation lasted, one of us asked about a particular bigwig in society whom all of us knew too well. The mentioning of his name was in relation to our current discussion. The reply from another person was that the person being inquired about died two weeks ago.
“Two weeks ago?” One of us did question wonderingly.
“Oh, he’s gone!”
Yes! He’s gone indeed!
Nevertheless, there was a very shocking dimension to the moment when someone asked thus: “So, that man later died?” By that, he tried to imply that he thought that such a man would never die. “I thought he would live forever,” he added and concluded.
That reminded me of our previous (specifically, last) edition of our conversation on this platform. Some humans lived as though they would never die. There are still some people who live as if they will be here forever. They live as if all powers belong to them – as if God and the devil do obeisance to them. But, at last, they will still go the way of all the mortals. After their departure, what else do you expect people to remember? Greed? Generosity? Humility? Arrogance? Hatefulness? Bitterness? Jealousy? And what have you….
We can expect nothing else but what they did while on earth. Their deeds would definitely reverberate in humanity’s orchestra. There must be ripples of their recklessness – because they must surely abound. They felt their satanic bravado was a true demonstration of their courage. They assumed that their sense of reckless abandon was not a rich demonstration of the futility of their lives and living. And what is more? They leave footprints. Unfortunately, these footprints are not positive ones. But the truth about life is that all footprints are alive. They are living footprints – whether they are positive or negative.
This is why life is such that whenever someone’s name is mentioned, it evokes some kind of aura about them around those who know such a person. The question, then, is: Is such an aura a positive or negative one? This is the crux of the matter. In essence, are we leaving positive living footprints or the negative ones on the sands of time? This is something very thoughtful we, individually, have to take to heart. If we did consider it to be such a very seriously important question, hopefully, as it should, it would turn to out becoming something much more than a rhetorical question. And it could (because it should) create in us a newer or better perspective as we look through life’s skewed or panoramic window every now and then (depending on the clarity of one’s perception).
It is also important to begin to ponder anew on the impacts of one’s footprints on those who journey on the path of life with one. We cannot pretend (enough) not to be aware of the fact that, in our daily encounters with others, our lives rub off on others’ and vice versa. This being the case, we ought to be very much mindful of what we do. Life beautifully and consistently plays back reminder notes of each of our actions, reactions and inactions on a daily basis. As such, what kind of a harvest do we want to reap? That should be a strong catalyst of our lives in terms of whatever we do or don’t do.
Eze Echie, a Scholar, Prolific Author, Poet, Editor, Music Minister, Critic and Columnist, writes from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
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