Why are we so in love with the dead?

There's something that's been on my mind for sometime. Seeing "RIP Fada U-turn" on status updates, news and different blogs/sites since yesterday just brought the thought back.

I've come to realise that I appreciate a song more when it's already stale. And somehow, I was able to link this up with news about Fada U-turn's death. I'm going somewhere.

I've not actually lost someone really dear to me(like a very close relative or friend) but I hear of deaths everywhere. Seeing many posts and write-ups by people who seem to be affected by his death, wishing him a peaceful rest and claiming he'll be missed, I can't help but wonder where these people have been all along. If I'm not wrong, this is someone we haven't heard much from for years and nobody really talked about him.

Though I remeber that his very old song "Yetunde Yetunde o , Yetunde mi da?...", it's not like I'm a fan of Fada U-turn in any way because saying that will be far from the truth. It's just that this reminds me that we sometimes pay more attention when we hear about the death of someone.

This is not about Fada U-turn alone but also about the death of anyone around we've
heard of. I think about those posts, comments and pictures that come up on facebook especially on the official students' union page whenever a UIte dies. Though they go on for only a short while after the death, it could be overwhelming. The same thing goes for others, though it's more pronounced when celebrities are involved.

Many people have been made popular through their deaths. In fact, I think we celebrate and talk more about deaths than births. We tend to talk so much about people, remember the good times and say sweet things about them after they are gone. The painful thing is that we sometimes never get to say these lovely things to them while they are still very much around. Maybe that explains why I sometimes prefer old songs to new ones. Maybe it's just in our nature to value something/someone more when we have lost them or when they are no longer what/who we had or knew.

It will be so  nice if we actually shower all that care on them, say all these sweet things and make them feel special as much as we can when they are useful...when those people can actually feel them. So, even when they are gone, we can be sure they are happy with us wherever they are. We can be sure saying/doing those things when they are gone will not make us hypocrites. God help us all.

Maybe it will be better if we are not only in love with the dead but also the living...just maybe.