Browsing through the last issue of Time magazine for 2009, I was stunned to see so many noted people on the obituary page. That has brought home this point as clear as day to me.

Death and dying is never a welcome topic in many cultures. But if people can come to grips with the fact that we were born to live on Earth for a specific period of time, and then we die, that realization would save us so much unnecessary worry and pain.

What a year 2009 was as it relates to death and dying. Even on the last day of the year, I fielded telephone calls from friends near and far, reporting the passing of their loved ones.

So many countries were struck by disasters, which took thousands of lives. Just 12 days into 2010, and we have seen the loss of lives from the earthquake in Haiti. Some people are asking when will all this doom and gloom stop.

America is still in mourning for Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, Bea Arthur and Billy May (of OxyClean fame), among other noted celebrities. Because of these people’s passing, the death and dying theme has become a clarion call for millions worldwide.

Listening to some people, they would make you feel as though something is radically wrong with you or your loved ones should death come knocking at your door. Birth and death will never go out of style on Earth, so we all better get used to it. We may not like the thought, but while birth is a maybe, death is a certainty.

As far back as I can recall, death was always around me. I remember cars hitting my kindergarten classmates, killing them on the spot. I have seen people over 100 years old still in their right mind, and I have seen four-day-old babies die.

I know of people who survived 10 gunshot wounds, and I knew people who died from just hitting their head on their bathtub. So what is all this mystery? Why do some people die early and some live long? As Henry Van Dyke would say, “Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.” So in the meantime, just live to the fullest.

Try as we might, as human beings, we will never be able to figure out certain things during our time on Earth. According to Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever.”

I remember how irate a man had become in downtown Kingston when Bob Marley died in 1981. “Life is really unfair,” he lashed out. “Look how Bob, who had so much to live for, yet died so young. And look at these madmen on the street who have nothing living for. In fact, you will have to stone them to death in order to get rid of them.”

There are countless fans out there today who would gladly give up their lives in order to have Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Tupac Shakur, Marilyn Monroe and other beloved celebrities live again. But there are things in life other people cannot do for you.

Not for a minute would I ever trivialize death and dying. I know that there are millions of people out there still asking, “why did God have to take away my Little Tommy or Mary?” I too used to ask that question when my niece and my sister (mother and daughter) died less than a year apart seven years ago.

For those wishing to give counsel to the aggrieved, saying less is best. Being there physically makes a world of difference. Be quick to lend a receptive ear, and refuse to be judgmental. It’s OK to give a hug and allow the aggrieved to express how they feel. Find ways to let them know that you understand their pain.

“Live so that you don’t look back and regret that you’ve wasted your life,” noted Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. “Live so you don’t regret the things you have done or wish that you have acted differently. Live life honestly and fully. Live.”