do you want to know when will you die?

What will normal people response to this question? Many of us will say “choi!!! dai gat lei si!!!*” Death always seems to be a dark and gloomy word to think about, what more to think about out own death. If given a choice, many of us rather not to know when we will die so that we don’t have to face the remaining days left with fear and tears.

But today I read a book about this person who said “I’m very lucky to know when I would die because I have all the time I get to say good-bye.” He even had a “living funeral” for himself, for he thinks it is a waste when all the friends and family pay tribute to the dead but they never got to hear any of it. He cried and laughed with the dearest people in his life and all the heartfelt things he never get to said to those he loves he said that day.

He is the main character in the best selling nonfiction book by American author Mitch Albom “Tuesday with Morrie”, Professor Morrie Schwartz. This is a true story of the last lesson that the author learnt from his college psychology professor who is dying from some serious neurological disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Death is the main topic around all the topics they discussed every week (if you want to know why Tuesday, go grab a copy of the book); it is death that makes Morrie had profound philosophies about living. I especially like what Morrie said when Mitch asked him if he felt sorry for himself. Morrie said he give himself a good cry if he need it, but then he concentrate on all the good things still in his life. He doesn’t allow himself anymore self-pity than that, a little each morning, a few tears and that’s all.

I thought exactly the same like Mitch about all the people who spent many of their waking hours feeling sorry for themselves, maybe they don’t stay in a luxury condo, maybe they don’t drive a sports car, maybe they don’t have a rich and handsome boyfriend and the list go on and on and they don’t intend to stop it. Sometimes we focus too much on the material things on earth and we forgotten about the most basic and original reason and live on.

I like this story I heard about this teacher who ask the students in the class “What are the seven wonders of the world?” Some said the Great Wall, the Pyramid, the Pisa Tower and so on, but there is one little girl who put up her tiny hand and answer “ The seven wonders of the world is to able to see, to hear, to smell, to taste, to touch, to feel and to love.” We should be grateful to God every morning we open our eyes, for we have been given another day in life.