The untimely death of the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Rubaga South, drama actor, musician, radio presenter, family man, and most importantly, a joyful person, Kato Lubwama, that occurred on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, reminded me of the words of my great father the day he departed this world.
It is 20 years down the road, but I still remember the words my great father told me the day he departed. He was a family man who made most of us so fearful that we thought our lives depended on him.
Being a strong man, I thought anything with life on this planet feared him. On that fateful day when death paid him a visit, I still remember the fear in his once strong and intimidating eyes when he told me to fear no human being on this planet but only an encounter with death.
As a young boy, I didn’t understand what he meant until he was pronounced dead after a few hours. Several years later, as a grownup, I now understand what my father meant, especially after seeing many strong and prominent people die.
Death is such a mystery that even the greatest of men fear encountering it, let alone talking about it. It’s the only thing that has eluded human understanding for centuries and generations.
One feels it when their closest friend or family member dies. But it’s a mystery that after a few months, one forgets about it and goes on with their daily life until it strikes your premises again.
As the great saying goes, “There is a cure for everything except death.” It paid Kato Lubwama a visit that even those in the same vehicle with him couldn’t understand.
According to Kato Lubwama’s driver, the former MP didn’t say a word in his last minutes, and it was so quick that the doctors said he was gone in less than an hour.
Death is so calm and organized that even the closest person to you can’t and will never understand that it has paid you a visit.
As the great contemporary Japanese writer Haruki Murakami once said, “Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.” We live because we have to die at some point in our life’s journey.
The great Isaac Asimov, the American author, said, “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome,” explains it better, that as human beings, we are always fearful and not ready to depart, worried about our children, property, and friends.
The transition from life to death is the hardest part of life’s adventure, even for the bravest men. People make accomplishments and are proud of themselves, except at the time of departure.
Human beings grieve and become emotional at the time of someone’s death, not because they care a lot and love the person, but because they fear that their time is near.
It’s time we start talking and preparing for death because it’s part of life and will probably strike one day.
