Nobody is promised tomorrow

Every now and again life serves you little reminders that stop and make you think. Yesterday, the 26th of January 2020, was one such reminder. Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among 9 who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash in L.A. Time is our most precious commodity, it’s finite and none of us know when our time is up and yet we are all guilty of taking it for granted. Kobe Bryant was one of the best athletes to grace a basketball court, a serial winner and a good man but even that wasn’t enough to stop death knocking on his door. Kobe Bryant was a man who achieved what he set out to do and was embarking on a life after basketball, winning an Oscar for his short film “Dear Basketball” which takes on an altogether different meaning now.

I am not normally one who is affected by celebrity news but there are some special people who transcend what it means to be a celebrity and enter an almost demigod state such are their achievements and meaning to people. Kobe Bryant was certainly one of these special people.

Whilst we can definitely learn from Kobe Bryant’s life, it would be remiss of us not to learn from his sudden death too. There has been a flurry of posts on social media reminding us to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us and never take them for granted, as is often the case when an inspirational figure dies. However, I haven’t seen many posts reminding us not to waste our time, to go after what it is we truly want in this life for we don’t know how much time will be afforded to us. To be idle is the biggest sin we can commit. Kobe Bryant wasn’t idle. Kobe Bryant went after life with a tenacity and vigour that was something to behold. He knew what he wanted and he worked tirelessly to make sure he achieved it. He didn’t waste a single day of his 41 years and, to me, that is the lesson of his life and death - that is his legacy.

Time is truly priceless, it cannot be bought. So as the Twitter posts will tell you, stop taking your loved ones for granted and don’t hesitate to tell them how much they mean to you. But if Kobe Bryant’s death teaches us anything it’s that time waits for no man so cherish it, be brave, be bold, follow your passion, make sure your life is full of meaning and do it NOW… for nobody is promised tomorrow.

By Seb Siracusa