Reading obituaries

It is not a secret that I like reading the obituaries. But, if you ask me, I would rather admit that I read entertainment news first thing in the morning, and in the toilet.

I have a voyeuristic nature that I cannot tame. I like that I can speculate a whole lot of things about the departed: the nature of their deaths*1, the extent of their family, the number of spouses they have/don't have, their religion etc. An obituary is a short story of the ending of a person's life, complete with the protagonist, the plot, the background, the minor characters and a conclusion.*2 

I think especially about people who die young, silently lamenting the loss of years, years they could have experienced if they grew up or become older. It makes me resolute about how I want to conduct my life, as I never know when the baton may be taken away from me.

If I die young by The Band Perry

*1) By the doctors and nurses the family thank or words of "sudden departures" signalling either accident or suicide.

*2) At an Asian Expressions creative writing seminar, author Xi Ni Er told us he used obituaries to tell a short story.