Heroes Die

 

One day, when I was a kid, I was watching TV. My mother was cooking our dinner. A news program was on, and the announcer reported the news of someone’s death. I had no idea who the person was, but my mother screamed, “What?” Then she quit cooking and stared at the TV for a while. That was the first time I saw her so upset.

Now I am older. The heroes whom I admired when I was a kid are dying, one after another. Sometimes I hear the unexpected news of the death of one of my heroes, and I also stare at TV.

I can’t remember the name of the person whose death shocked my mother. But she must have considered him or her a great person.

Longevity is wonderful. But, if I lived a long life, I would have to receive a lot of news about death. I don’t want to die early, but I don’t want to receive a lot of news about death.

Picture by Shintako