The World Becomes Colder
It’s another one of those mornings - you wake up with a spring in your step, think the world is a pleasant place and bam, it hits you. Another celebrity has died.
Well, I’m not saying that the death of a celebrity is something that we should all be wearing black arm bands for. I don’t personally know all of them and I’m sure, had they been living still, they wouldn’t have cared to know me.
But the passing of anyone is sad, which for someone who has not lost anyone from his close family yet (touch wood!!!!!), its a little hard to comprehend loss. My two closest forms of loss were my old music teacher, Mrs. Burman, and an old friend of mine (whose details I shall omit, as it is private). These two people were the kindest people in the world and death seemed to be an unkind thing to happen to them.
My sadness at the loss of the a celebrity comes from the epiphany I experienced at the death of my music teacher. Music in general, is something that brings pleasure to people and its purity is something good. Yes, some would argue that music can be used to incite hatred and bigotry (composer of the past shall remain nameless) and some might say that bringing pleasure doesn’t always come guilt-free (e.g. prositution).
But by and large, music and its proponents are something beautiful. It is something that enriches our lives in ways that we cannot begin to understand. How a particular song drives us to tears or how a set of chords can inspire fearfulness. It is something human. It is something civilised (and when I say civilised, I mean civilised since man started making sounds in a coherent-to-him sort of way).
So when the world loses a Mrs. Burman, and when the world loses a singer, whether it be Left-Eye Lopez or Aaliyah, that is something we should all be sad about. The passing of both singers is something that was very much unnoticed in Hong Kong. I, however, lament our loss.
Hatred and killing comes easier to man than the creation of something great. I do not advocated the deification of celebrities simply because they passed away. I merely suggest that we should pause for thought at the fact that whenever an singer, actor, or actress passes away, our world has become a colder place.
Rest in peace Left-Eye Lopez.
