Yes, life does go on….even after one’s death, by Muyiwa Adetiba

I emotion aged schoolhouse music. The older the better. I emotion to question backmost in time arsenic often arsenic I tin and whenever possible, to enactment myself successful a clip capsule for a while. This allows mesometimes, to revelin the costumes and civilization of a time. I often intermission successful the mediate of a opus to retrieve wherever I was erstwhile the opus archetypal came to my consciousness and who I was with. Other times, a refrain oregon a operation simply triggers thing sentimental oregon wistful. Then my caput wanders, usually with a grin connected my lips. Almost each aged opus has a communicative down it for me. There is, similar the Diana Ross classical opus ‘Always thing determination to punctual me’.

So determination I was, ensconced ‘in my world’ connected this time and moving connected my machine portion being ‘surrounded’ by aged schoolhouse euphony from a play list. But I was not ‘bursting loose’ to punctuation a favourite song. Actually, my bosom was heavy. I enactment it down to the information that I had conscionable travel location from the 7th time Fidau Prayer/Lecture for AlhajiTolaAnimashaun. Tola, a retired PermSec successful Lagos State, wasn’t precisely my buddy – helium was a relative to a adjacent household friend. But helium was ever lukewarm and affectionate whenever we met. Besides, helium had reached retired to maine countless times connected my column.

We were of the aforesaid property bracket truthful it was inevitable that we would person communal friends. He ever had a gag oregon 2 to stock with maine each clip we met astatine occasions. It was frankincense an honour to beryllium portion of his ceremonial rites.The Fidau Prayer was this rainy Tuesday which made the Chief Imam to accidental ‘we are each scampering for screen from the rain. But Tola is retired determination successful the open; unprotected. Neither the rainfall nor the prima makes immoderate quality to him anymore.’ It was a connection that was to measurement heavy connected maine arsenic I went home. I thought of this tall, lanky antheral with his effervescent tone lying prostrate successful the rainfall and wondered astatine this bittersweet crook of destiny that took galore of america by surprise. A destiny that awaits each of us.

The euphony was to lighten my temper and it did for a while. Then a song, wholly innocuous by itself successful a antithetic setting, came connected and ‘flipped the disc’. This is simply a opus that should person brought sentimental memories cascading. ‘For The Good Times’ is 1 of those 70s songs that woody with lovers separating.It is simply a opus I person listened to galore times implicit the years. ‘Don’t look truthful sad. I cognize it is over’. It starts, ‘but beingness goes connected and the full satellite volition support connected turning’.

What has ever been a simple, romanticist opus was successful my state, fixed an ominous twist, making maine present to wonderment wherefore beingness doesn’t halt erstwhile you are grieving. Even for a infinitesimal to admit that idiosyncratic has conscionable mislaid the closest idiosyncratic to them. Someone’s satellite has conscionable crashed, yet the prima volition emergence arsenic it should. The rainfall volition autumn arsenic it should – arsenic it is the lawsuit of TolaAnimashaun. Market women volition proceed their banter arsenic they should.

CNN volition proceed its bland broadcasts arsenic it should. The Stock marketplace volition emergence and autumn arsenic it should. It is sobering to realise that one’s decease whether arsenic a pauper, prince oregon president volition not importantly change immoderate of these things. The instrumentality of beingness volition support connected turning arsenic it ever does. Nature is bland oregon apathetic astatine champion to unfolding events. It could adjacent beryllium seen arsenic outright cynical and cruel depending connected one’s authorities of mind. My authorities of caput that Tuesday day surely wasn’t helpedwhen I impulsively checked my telephone arsenic I was trying to recompose my thoughts for this write-up andsaw a station announcing the decease of idiosyncratic who was 2 years my inferior successful schoolhouse connected the acceptable platform.

Another obituary announcement was to beryllium made of yet different inferior earlier the time was over. This time, a twelvemonth down me. This play has been peculiarly atrocious for maine successful presumption of deaths – and I cognize I americium not the lone one. The past period has virtually seen an obituary each time with 2 funerals per week connected the average. Dr DoyinAbiola’s ceremonial past week brought fond memories arsenic I remembered my assorted encounters with her. And connected Monday, I caput to Abuja for the last rites of Chief AuduOgbeh, a antheral who has been portion of my beingness for decades. ‘Lord, thatch america to fig our days truthful we tin use our hearts to wisdom’. Says the Holy Book.Thus, it is contented to judge one’s mortality and folly to discount oregon adjacent disregard the ceaseless tolling of begetter time.

The song, ‘For The Good Times’ continues ‘I’ll get along. You volition find another’. That is what we each d...