The Day You Die

How would it feel to wake up on the day you die? What would it be like to realize that today would be the end of the rest of your life?

Well of course, unless you plan to die by lethal injection, by suicide or by euthanasia, you wouldn't realize that you're destined to die in 24 hours, right? I don't really believe in predestination (gives me the I'm-not-in-control-of-my-life feeling), but hey, reality check! Nowadays, people do "just die." One moment you're alive, the next you're, well, dead.

So I wonder -- What would it be like NOT to realize that today, you're supposed to die?

I mean that will you think about first thing in the morning? Your "Fantasy Island" dream interrupted by your bedside alarm clock? Your ever increasing pile of unfinished school/office work? Will the thought of dying, even the slightest hint, occur to you at all? Probably not.

In that case, what will you worry about? Pimples invading your face? Your ballooning body weight? World peace? Will you take time to notice your very last morning sky? Or will you be more concerned about the ruggedly-dressed guy who seems to be suspiciously eyeing your cell phone?

Will you, unaware of your imminent death, waste your last few hours cursing about the traffic and the relentless rain? What other things will you be angry about? Graft and corruption? Charice and Iyaz on the radio all day long? The janitor's failure to clean the CR? What will you care about then? The two children lying on the sidewalk? Keeping your brand new pants stain-free, wrinkle-free and dust-free? The winning Lotto combination?

Which will be your "final answer": Champ or Big Mac? Piratted or original? Justin Bieber or David Archuleta?

Towards the end or the day. Will you measure your height against a tree? Will somebody actually see you walking headless/armless/legless and fail to call your attention?

After all these, what will you forget? Your handkerchief? To brush your teeth? How to pray? Perhaps more importantly, what will you remember? Your childhood dreams? The math exams you failed? Your first love letter? The name of your rival who has always wanted to get the better of you in all aspects?

Then you die... And you won't even know it.

Notice how things become too trivial when placed in this grand context of life and death? I wish I knew what I'd be doing on the day I die. On second thought, maybe I'd rather not cause sooner or later, even if I didn't want to, I would know.

We all would