Don’t fear dying – Fear not having lived.

Ever so often, a tragic high profile passing on brings us to grips with our own mortality. One wise old man, Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator says “I am dying, Maximus. When a man sees his end, he wants to know there was some purpose to his life. How will the world speak my name in years to come? " For the Caesar, this is one rare moment where he sees his imminent end. In this reality, he then interrogates his life purpose which he has applied to build and protect the fragile dream that was Rome. It’s a sober moment where he introspects and contemplates about his legacy. The irony of mortality is that many of us do not have this precious evaluation moment until too late as the life candle goes out right in the middle of our daily strides.

As the world reels in shock and mourns the tragic passing on of World renown basketball icon Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash along with his 13 year old daughter among others, I am drawn to the discussion of purpose, to bring within focus the Marcus Aurelius moment that should help us be proactive and intentional about our life as Kobe was.

One of Kobe's well documented quotes, “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do”, rings high and true in inspiring us to passionately pursue our own purpose. For Kobe, inspiring others was his purpose and basketball became the tool. Kobe ran his race and played his part well. He will always be remembered as that towering and dominant member of the Laker Nation, who helped deliver 5 championships among other great achievements that have inspired us all to strive for excellence and sustained success. May the way we live with purpose and intentionality be the legacy we leave behind irrespective of when and how we go. Natalie Babbitt has further said, “Do not fear death, but rather the unlived life. You don't have to live forever. You just have to live.”

Article written by- Dr Thando.