Carpe Diem: In the Shadow of Death, Is Life Passing You By?

I have been in a strange place the last few days.

As a teacher at Heath Ledger’s school when he was no more than a bright face at the back of a classroom, I have been deeply and profoundly touched by his death.

In my eternally countrified home town Heath is an almost mythical creature – the down-to-earth boy who somehow sprouted wings and soared all the way to Hollywood, a la the Peter Pan of his youthful acting days.

I can say that there is a pall over the city today.

And while we do not mourn the daily passing of any other residents of our city any the less, there is something very wrong about such a bright young star plummeting back to earth.

Death should not visit one who seems to stand so tall. It should nip at his heels and be jostled aside as he leaps and bounds through his abundant life.

And it is in that realisation that death touches us all.

For if life can pass by the Heath Ledgers of the world, what about the rest of us with our feet firmly rooted in the earth?

Does your life pass you by, camouflaged by the little things that have no place in the epic stories of our world?

I remember the anticipation with which I viewed the world at the age of 28.

Are the dreams and hopes any dimmer since those days?

And so in the shadow of death a little perspective returns…

Carpe diem!

For if ever a school boy taught us to seize the day it is Heath Ledger.

Life is short, but it can be very sweet and even those of us from small, quiet places can soar high and far.

Deepest condolences to the Ledger family and many thanks for letting us bask in the brightness of your cherished son.

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