By George Kimando
Of the varied responses to the last two missives about unfriendly friends and true friends, this one caught and held my attention.
The writer had a rider, too, that I share it with my readers if I found it worthwhile.
Well, I did, and – with a few edits – here we go.
The reader started on a scathing sarcasm note: Stop bothering us with requests for small monies now. We are busy saving for your expensive funeral!
Money for food? Wewe! Let me save for the several mbuzi I’ll donate and rounds of Remy Martins in tow as we ‘celebrate’ your life and reminiscence how a jolly good fellow you were before you allowed brokenness into your life and died of depression.
Did you just ask for rent? Nope! How do you think I’ll afford that golden plaque on your grave – your eternal house – and show the world how deeply i cared about you?
Even clothes? Ha! Why don’t you let me cater for the customised black turtle neck T-shirts, complete with your name, while sending you off yonder in style? You know those ones don’t come cheap, right?
You mean you are depressed for lack of school fees for your children? Well, let me save the little i could give now for that education fund raiser for them when you are gone.
And then asked the clincher question: Why are we like this?
We rush to support funerals, yet were never there for the departed while they were alive.
We never showed them our appreciation, yet we pontificate to the world how we cared when they are no more.
When we thought about them, we always found an excuse to not call for a simple chat or just a hello, yet can’t stop saying how we miss them now that they are gone from this life.
When they called for some help, we were too busy to show up or to help, yet we stop everything and volunteer duties towards their funerals.
We found a thousand pretexts not to chip in for their medical bills, however modest the contribution, but are generous to a fault in supporting their funeral budget.
Heck! We didn’t even know where that relative or friend lived, but are very quick to ask for directions and for pins to be dropped so we do not miss their funeral!
Why are we like this?
Life is short. Power is ephemeral. Physical beauty is short lived. Good health is transient.
Treat people well. Be humble. Where possible, and to the best of your ability, lend a hand to the sick, the weak, the vulnerable.
Most importantly, remember that we will all leave this world stage one day.
We don’t have to wait until that last dance to play the music; play it now.
I won’t care if you play that music or do the dance then; I’ll be too dead to care anyway.
Be my friend, and let’s do it now. Together.
I couldn’t put it better myself.
Have a life and love Sunday, and a great week ahead!
