The Other Side

Everyone is gushing over the passing of a certain wife of a certain Singaporean. I don't know how it feels like to lose a spouse, but I'm sure it's beyond heart-wrenching. I'm sure that the widower is doing his best to get by, along with the rest of the family.

What really irks and annoys me though, is the reaction from the general public.

Not a few weeks ago, the "old man gonna die already" jokes were flying about thick and fast. Hell, teachers and lecturers used to crack them at least once a week in school it seemed. And now suddenly people are clicking "Like" on the deceased's Facebook page (which wasn't set up by her, I would assume) as if they've been supportive all along?

So why do people only bother, or seem to bother or maybe just want to appear to bother after someone has passed on? The old adage of "you don't know what you have til it's gone"  would be a popular answer to that, but really, it's bullshit. Same goes for the multitude of Michael Jackson fans who only signed up after he kicked the bucket. How many of them saw Moonwalker?

I'm not saying we shouldn't pay our respects. Death is never a nice thing. But seriously, if you've been saying all this while about how "he should hurry up and die", you have very little excuse for acting nice and altruistic now. The "oh I hope he will be OK" Tweets and Facebook statuses and the like are plain ridiculous.

How many other people passed away on that day? Are they any less special than that one lady? I'm sure she was - and probably still is - the world to her husband and family. I accept, expect and respect that. But was she to the rest of you? Now take a moment to think about how "sorry" or "sad" you feel when you hear about other deaths. The obituaries are there everyday. Do you take the time to look and wonder about how each of them might also deserve the same amount of attention?