Remembering those who have passed on

In my decades of wandering on planet Earth, I have had my fair share of losing friends. Not because we quarrelled but due to the fact that their time on earth had expired.
At the age of 21, I received news one day that a good friend Png Soo Keat had died in a tragic accident the previous day. At that age, one never thought a person can die at that age. Soo Keat was the same age as me.
We were almost as thick as thieves. We exchanged thoughts about the kind of girlfriends we would like to have and other nonsensical issues that occupied our less-than-adult minds.
Then one day, he was gone. Most of us attended Soo Keat's funeral. We carried his coffin and reminded ourselves that life in general as its shelf-life. The years went by and we forgot about the frailty of life, until the next time Death comes a-calling.
Those who I remember right now and are no longer with us are Raymond Nathan, Goh Keng Lee, Subintheran, Mah Swee Aun, Johnny Yap, Veera, John Pillai. Low Chee Wah, Barney, Long John, Jambo, Khairi, Ambrose, Mike Cannon, John Bagley, Peter Sullivan, Francis Chong, Jeffrey Ramayah, Laksana, David Thamyah, Noordin Soopiee, S.H.Tan and Maarop Noh.
I am sure there are others but I have forgotten them. Sometimes when we take our jobs too seriously, we should remember all those who have left us. Perhaps, according to our own perception, they left too soon. Death is a constant reminder that in everything we do, the good deeds are the things that linger on after we have quietly or noisily passed on.
Most of us would like to live long, have lots of money, buy anything we want, eat everything we want and wake up at anytime we want. The obituaries are signposts that tell us that in everything we do, we have to do them to the best of our abilities. That way, even if we should depart hastily, we won't have left a job half-done.
Nobody would like to enterain the thought of his actual day of passing. We all think we "can handle it" when the time comes.
In a way, Death is good for us all. It means we have shed all of our earthly burdens. The journey on the other side is one devoid of physical labour. Not that kind we see on earth.
I have read numerous books and articles about those who have had experienced Near Death Experiences (NDE). Not a single one complained that he has to do hard labour when he was on the other side.
Sometimes when I catch myself pondering over these ties I have had with the friends who have gone over to the other side, I realised how fleeting most relationships were.
We don't value time with friends as much as we should. We don't really think of them when they are not with us but some of these memories are very pleasant. Thus, it is prudent to value the time we spend with friends.
For example, about an hour ago, I had lunch with my former boss. He comes around and strenghten old ties with friends on a regular basis. Sometimes, I do wonder when he passes on, too that will I remember him with some fondness.
Most of us don't put a price on anything until we have lost it.And that includes humans. Have you ever heard of people saying "I was talking with him yesterday". Obviously, they are referring to someone whom they met and now is no longer with the among the living.
This friend with whom I had lunch said: "Nothing in life happens by accident. The fact that we are meeting now is a date kept by Destiny." I too subscribe to this kind of philosophy. Every encourter, whether with a friend or a stranger is a lesson, either for me or for the other party.
If we only realise how precious life is, and how wonderful it can be, we will waste no time in living from moment to moment. And if we are given the opportunity of creating excellence or doing the best we can, as long as we can, and as much as we can, we should do it.
Isn't that is our destiny? Our destiny is to be the greatest version of the grandest vision of ourselves. We can achieve such a phenomenon.
Life is a journey. The lessons are the people we met. Lessons are also found in failures. If we can inspire others and motivate the disheartened then our jobs on earth are half-done.