`We could be immortals`

If you really knew what you are capable of doing, what would you choose to do?

I will be honest with you. There is no day that has passed by, that I don’t think about what tomorrow holds for me. Whether I shall be around to see tomorrow or not! And despite all this feeling, I wake up every day and continue doing the same things I did yesterday. I continue to think that I shall live to see another day. In me, there is this hope, a hope that says that tomorrow will surely come. I actually don’t mind whether tomorrow comes or not, what bothers me most is what I have to show tomorrow. Today is passing, yesterday is gone and yet am worried about
tomorrow? OMG, am diverging, this is not what I wanted to tell you about. I wanted to write about our immortality. How can we avoid a “total death”? How can we die and yet continue to live? How can we stay in this world despite the fact that we no longer do anything physical – at least not literally! We read of, and continue to mention individuals who have long gone beyond this physical world. They are no longer with us and yet it feels as if they live in our daily lives. We talk about them every day and they influence the direction of our lives. It wouldn’t be fair if I started mentioning names here, but we all know those individuals who continue to `live` among us. They continue to exist in our minds and guide our paths. Those, my friends, are the immortals!! They are the people who dedicated their lives to better humanity. They laid out principles on which our lives are run. They structured our systems to the extent that we named the systems by their names. They are the foundations of the life we enjoy today. They are the authors of the books we continue to read every day. And yet we act as if we are the authors, we act as if it was all meant for us only. We are mindless of their efforts, to which we often don’t give any credit. We have failed to create our own, and only depend on what they left behind. Do we think we are the last to live here? We are not cognizant of the fact that their selfless living contributed so much to what we have today. Take a look at the environment for example; how we are so quick to tear it all down to satisfy our selfish ends.

“To continue living is not only to pass on life, but to live a life worth passing on”

Do we not think that those who lived before us could have done the same? Well, you can say they weren’t perfect either, and probably I shall agree with you to some extent; but they didn’t cut the tree on which they were seated, nor cut the hand that fed them. Oh no, again am deviating into something different and even difficult to engage you at a sympathizing level. Ok, from now I shall discuss a topic that’s fully representative of the title of this article – how to be immortals. And don’t start by getting me wrong, I haven’t found the cure to HIV or Cancer or even the deadliest diseases we have created. Neither have I made a deal with a shrimp to keep you immortal. Am only arguing that we should continue living; like those who have left this world – at least physically. It is now the 21st century; we have the basic technology to take us anywhere, literally! There is a way we can all contribute to the advancements of this very promising century, and beyond. So that in the future, when the story is being read, we see how it links to our forefathers and then us! When we trace the history of the computer or whatever device on which you may be reading this; its history shows its humble beginnings and how several individuals have been contributing to the pocket-able computer we have today. You cannot therefore talk about the history of PCs or Airplanes or Cars without mentioning the individuals who have contributed every aspect of it we see today. Those individuals have created their immortality and part of them continues to live among us.

Should we worry? I mean those of us who haven’t invented the computer; not my friend! Well, even though the car is made, and the PC or the iPhone; a lot hasn’t been even thought of. You could be the one we shall be reading about tomorrow. You could be the inventor of time travel, or the one to discover the cure to all cancers. Or above all, you could be the source of peace for all humanity; given that man seems to be in war with one another since he first existed. So, as you go to bed every day, as you close your eyes and lay back, think about this. Think about what is possible, what can be done; imagine it, ignore the small voices that claim it’s impossible. The voices that tell you “you can’t”. Instead clearly assert that everything is possible, and give it greater thought; continue feeding your mind with thoughts about it. The creators of wireless communication were thought to be mad! Don’t mind the naysayers; they are part of the obstacles you shall meet along your way. And when you get that hunch about a certain possibility, don’t let it pass! Explore it immediately! Why? You ask me? Because you my friend could lead us to the next level; a level that could see us making significant strides into the unknown future.

Am very optimistic in what the 21st century holds for the future of humanity, and the key to all that could be in the head of that individual who is even least aware of it. My task here is only to catalyze or pique your interest in realizing what you are capable of.

Article inspired by Biruktawit Taye Tarekegne, based on reflections after watching the movie Big Hero 6.