I once wanted to live forever
So I dared myself to live forever, but found myself not any clever. Life is beautiful and full of fun. But what is the essence of living forever when death, with its melancholic gripping aura, brutally snatches away every soul you once said ‘I love you’, ‘I miss you’, ‘you look beautiful’ or even ‘till death do us part’ to? What is the essence of breathing forever when sometimes you do not even get the chance to say your final goodbyes? ‘Who wants to live forever’ by British rock band; Queen, has and is always the one song that has its magical life-oriented grip wrapped around my mind and heart. Mind because, on a deeper level, I cannot begin fathom why our timing has to be decided for us and heart because, death is even sad and cruel if it scribbles down the names of those closest to you. This essay paper therefore, seeks to analyze the song ‘who wants to love forever?’ Queen accompanied by why it is the both seduction and ripper to my heart and mind.
This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us (Queen)
It is the moment of life. It is the little moments that I share with my family and friends plus the extended time I spend in awe watching Margot Robbie act. It is one of days we temporarily forget about the pending bills because our little chubster; Miona, the last born, mumbled the ‘word mama’ for the first time. Or one of those days that a new cat is brought home and the genetically prideful but cute creature knows it, so it wraps its burning pride in hiding and fear but you smile because you know it’s only a matter of time before the new family member begins doing Kenya’s; David Rudisha Olympic races after rats and cockroaches. These sweet moments are beautiful as they come. They bond us with our peers. They remind us of who we are and our purpose for this precarious life. Sometimes I wish they never end. Sometimes I wish I could grasp the memories and bottle them up just in case dementia strikes when I’m 50. Or even keep them far away from anyone or anything one likely to contaminate them. But they always end, sometimes with no warning. Just as abrupt as death shows up, life ends. They end after I’ve been in the hospital for days, sleepless and frantically praying for God to spare Jenny’s life. Sometimes they cease to exist right next to you. For example in a car accident where you, by God’s grace or sheer luck is the only survivor. Other times, although we do not want to hear, accept or reciprocate it, these moments end with final goodbyes. ‘There is no place for us’ (Queen) and ‘there is no time for us’ (Queen). The final goodbyes remind me that time is limited for us on planet earth. And on a deeper level I wonder why I should hold back from what I want or crave, when any moment from now, even as I type, my death might be seconds away. Why should I want to live forever when all I’ll ever have to do with my life is attend endless funerals of the people I loved? ‘Who dares to live forever when love must die?’ (Queen). Death has ripped and robbed me of so many people. Death has ripped the world of intelligent minds, artists and world changers. It has ripped month old babies of their mothers that I wonder what I would want to live forever for if misery is the only gift death comes along carrying. I wonder if one day I will wake up, just to find myself alone, in my time and age as generations pass. Emotional turmoil at best.
Conclusion and ‘the good news’
We die to give space for the new generations. Our eventual demise is to pave the way for others. Every day we risk saying or not goodbye to the beautiful moments and people in our lives. To what degree we risk, we do not know for sure. Calculations have been invented but a precise one remains elusive for most of the part, for us, mortals (Boyer, et al 2013). And we are only left with one gift; the gift to love, and live forever in love. The sweet and dark moments bonding two people together which surprisingly even makes them stick together is comforting. The supportive family that I have, my mom and dad, although encountering financial crisis at times, ensure I never miss a meal or even better, the internet. It is the love that we share during this limited time span handed to us that braves and comforts us even amidst death. It is the yearning of his lips on her tears (Queen); it is the craving of her fingertips to touch your world (Queen). Although I remain mortal, the moments I’ve shared remain irreplaceable even as death comes. I will love and receive love. We will celebrate in their memories. These sweet memories are the seductions to my heart making me want to fly for that which I feel I want or need before my time tick and tocks. Memories are immortal but we are humans are mortals, so ‘Who wants to live forever?’
Works Cited
Boyer, M. Martin, and Lars Stentoft. "If we can simulate it, we can insure it: An application to longevity risk management." Insurance: Mathematics and Economics 52.1 (2013): 35-45.
Queen - Who Wants To Live Forever (Official Video). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jtpf8N5IDE
