Our last words are the most significant in the world, for the simple reason that they are the most remembered. They are the most talked about, the most claimed, the most interpreted, and the most sought after. Et tu, Brute, supposedly the last words of Julius Caesar. So romantic, so profound. A symbol of betrayal and treason. Suppose his last words were actually "Bring me a sandwich and some wine", only to be killed by Brutus and tragically never receiving his promised sandwich.
One of my favorites. Oscar Wilde. "Either those curtains go or I do".
H.G Wells. "Go away, I'm fine"
Graham Chapman. "Hello"
Conrad Hilton. "Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub"
Jesse James. "This picture is awful dusty"
Amazing isn't it. In a moment that is so somber, so reverent, we have this. Irreverence. If they were told they were about to die, would they have said something more meaningful. Hilton knew he was going to die. Did he just want to go out like a jackass? Or was it more. Would we give a deep thought at the end of life? Or laugh in the face of that eternal bitch death that beats the other eternal bitch life. Would you say goodbye, say something silly, say nothing at all?
Would you wish someone luck, give some advice, or just finish your goddamn sentence? Would you ask for a hand or question a motive? Speak a regret or bask in the glow of your own beautifully awful mortality? As we go through life we must always remember what is said, because of all the things these people said in their lives, all the things they could've said, this is what they chose. To those who can't choose their last words and expect many more, is it with regret? I imagine if I had to choose, I would spend all the time I had left obsessing about it. Would I wish my family good luck? Tell Jamie Rathsteader I loved her when I never had the courage to speak up in the second grade? Could I put all my sadness, all my happiness, all my regrets into one sentence? Maybe that's why Conrad said what he said. He knew he couldn't. Why try? Will we say "I left $100,000,000 buried under the -"? Will we feel we've said all we can, and say nothing at all?
To wrap this up, we would need some last words that permeate the human psyche. That makes us think. I prefer the last words of John Lennon over any other:
"So, should I just make it out to Mark or -".
Too soon? Fuck you.
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3 comments:
Reason enough to live everyday as if it is your last. Tell you loved ones that you do love them everyday.
Live in the moment and don't hold back your emotions.
Great post. It made me think about eulogies and how generic they usually seem. "Oh, so and so was such a great, generous person who liked to laugh." When I go out, the only thing I want read at my funeral is Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar."
Hmm, makes one think. And I think too much as it is. But it gives me something to write about next week when I'm depressed.
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