It Always Comes as a Shock
February 11, 2025
It always comes as a shock. But behind all the awards, fame, money, recognition, championships or top billboard hits - is a person. With real problems that at times, have the misfortune of being a headline. We see them wearing the jersey, on the big screen, but we don't consider they are human. Fighting with their family. The mortgage payment is past due. Health concerns. The challenges of parenting. A home being left in ashes due to a wild fire.
I was shocked to learn of the passing of a legendary figure in music and culture - Irv Gotti. While I have zero attachments, I remember having the same shock when an artist named DMX died - which coincidentally Irv Gotti worked with and helped develop. The shock is the death, yes. Also, the passage of time and the result of their life choices playing a hand in their end.
All we remember is the art made, the music created, the touchdowns or game winning shots. The 9th inning home run or the classic movies. We immortalize these figures, and then they die. Reminding us of their mortality and maybe, reminding of our own. They died and so will we. Shocking right? Wrong.
It was Juvenal who wrote, "when Alexander The Great was alive the world was not big enough to contain his ambition but while Alexander chafed at the confines of the world in life, in death, a coffin was enough."
Irv Gotti, DMX - all of us, we want so much. In the end, a coffin is all we have. All we need. Those that die are brothers or sisters. Mothers or fathers. Friends. Legends in their space or industry. They had ambitions. They also had choices in how to care for their minds and bodies. Father time is undefeated.
The shock should not be, but it is and it brings with it curiosity. The passage of time. Aging. Yet we think those we immortalize simply just don't. My big takeaway is we're all human. With a limited amount of borrowed time here. We should use it properly. Appreciate it. Love those near us and show love to those who aren't.
Find a way to immortalize ourselves to others. In who we are, in how we live.