Death is a democracy

Like Veracity wrote in the piece titled What is man? published in this column, sometime ago,    Machine, grass or actor, whatever man is, his inevitable end is to wear, tear and exit and so did beloved Bradley. “My brave boy went with the angels today the 7th day of July 2017” said his mother, as she announced the gut wrenching departure of brave beloved Bradley from the realm of the living. I read about beloved Bradley months ago on a news website and I hoped and prayed he was going to win the battle against cancer but then we will never get to understand a whole lot of things.

How fleeting life could be! Ironically, as expected as it was, it still hurts so much. Just like Peter asked the creator in the book of John of the holy writ about who was responsible for the predicament of the blind man, then as now, I ask the same questions. Who did sin? Was it beloved Bradley? Was it his parents? What wrong did he commit to be stricken with such an illness as this? He was only 18 months when he was diagnosed. Beloved Bradley what did you do wrong?

I duly got my answers and yes Beloved Bradley didn’t sin neither did his parents. It all happened so that the works of the creator would be made manifest. You must be wondering: ‘Hope this man knows what he is saying’ yes I do. Bradley’s life is a reminder to us all; it’s never about the time you have, it is about how good you make use of it. He spent 6 years here on earth you can say 6 pain-ridden years of chemotherapy sedatives and pain killers but beloved Bradley was happy as he journeyed through life in his anguish.

I remember watching him march out as a mascot at the stadium of light. He brought so much light and happiness into that arena that day but his life was filled with darkness and death hovering around him. However, he was never deterred; he smiled through it all. Indeed, no matter how long we live, we will be dead longer. It is what we do while we yet draw breath that echoes in eternity. He touched many lives in his short while and struck a close relationship with a football star in Jemaine Defoe, who was with him as he marched out as a mascot for the three lions.

His life was very short, but then will it be forgotten in a hurry? No it won’t. His story will pass on to generations yet unborn. They would read about the Young Black Cat mascot who touched many lives in his very short years on earth, they would listen to the song ‘smile’ a song composed towards his charity and fund raising and wonder… ‘how did beloved Bradley live?’ ‘How did he die?’ Many people have been sent to the afterlife by cancer but none has touched lives as much as beloved Bradley in such a short period.

It was the great Martin Luther King that said: “Death comes to every individual. There is an amazing democracy about death. It is not aristocracy for some of the people, but a democracy for all of the people. Kings die and beggars die; rich men and poor men die; old people die and young people die. Death comes to the innocent and it comes to the guilty. Death is the irreducible common denominator of all men”. Just as he said death will come and come it will, after it does and we depart for elysium, will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we have departed and wonder who we were? Beloved Bradley won’t be forgotten in a hurry. He has played his part, I am still playing mine, and yes I am haunted by the vastness of eternity and so should you…

• This piece was sent in from Abuja by a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court, Kimi Isaac.