LONG LIFE, A BLESSING OR CURSE By Blessing Peter Titus

I used to believe that people aged before they died, and I longed for a long, full life, surrounded by lots of family and friends to share life’s intricacies with, telling my great-grandchildren about my world, our world, a world where you had to travel to see someone, where televisions had no colour and letters could take a month to arrive. However, after losing 3 people that are dear to me to death at ages I had considered too young for death, I began to question if really death had anything to do with age.

It made me question one of my favourite verses in the Bible, Psalm 91:16, “I will reward them with long life, I will save them.” I asked myself if all the years spent eagerly participating in daily morning masses and the Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) meetings and conventions weren’t enough for Mama to get rewarded with a long life. If the years spent as an ardent Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Nigeria (CCRN) member weren’t enough to reward Goddy with a long life. If the years spent as an active Holy Childhood member weren’t enough to reward Praise with a long life.

I also asked myself if I truly wanted to live a long life, because I’ve come to understand that the longer you live, the more likely it is that you’ll bury some or all of your loved ones. And that bothers me, because being the last child of my parents, it means that even if all of us live a long life, I’d be the one to bury my Siblings and Baba too; that has made me question if indeed long life is a reward and a blessing as it has been made to be perceived by most people, or if it’s a curse. I’m asking because how do you enjoy a long life if the people you know and love die and leave you alone? And on the flip side, how do you accept death, knowing that you’re leaving your loved ones behind? But then, do we really have a choice when death comes knocking? No. Because if people had a choice, I know very few would agree to die.

So, is long life a blessing or a curse? I’ll say it depends on how you view it, because grief is one of the prices you’ll pay if you live long. And so I try to live each day as though it were my last – so that when death finally comes, I too may borrow St. Paul’s words and say, “I’ve fought the good fight; I’ve finished my race.”