When Julius Caesar was asked (a few days before he was killed),
"Which death is
preferable to every other?", he replied "The unexpected one". He was right. Every old man wishes that he should die in his sleep, as spending his last days in a hospital is unbearable, not only for himself, but also for his relatives.
In the past three days, two men I knew (both fellow Memons) died suddenly. The first was perhaps a couple of years younger than me, an avid tennis player, someone who probably never saw a day's illness in his life. He played tennis in the evening, stayed at the club until midnight or so (he attended a party), went home, lay down and died. I did not know him well enough to ever ask him if he'd ever had a medical check-up, but as he was super fit, he probably thought it wasn't necessary.
Today another club member kicked the bucket. If only there was some way one could know the date of his death (even if it's only a week or so before death), one would take time to put one's affairs in order. Every time someone I know passes away, I resolve to clear up my desk, throw away all the useless stuff and tell my children about how much money I have (which, by today's standards, is not much). I want to make out cheques payable to my wife and children so they'll be able to get their shares without having to go to lawyers and courts for issuance of the required certificate. But then, I forget to do it the next day. Let's hope I can summon the energy to do it this time.
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