measure of life

525, 600 minutes. If you watched Rent, you'd know that that is the number of minutes in one year.

The life of a person really is fragile. There really is no telling when life will end for anyone. Although we are frequently reminded to value our lives, to make full use of what we've been given, and to love like there won't be a tomorrow, it's shocking how often we forget to do just so. Everyone is guilty of taking life for granted.

A lecturer of mine had passed away 2 nights ago. He was out with a couple of other professors, cycling in the evening, when he met with an accident. One that cost him his life.

I don't know him very well. I see him 2 times a week, an hour each time, and I've only had 4 weeks of uni so far. My first impression of him was he was extremely monotonous, and his class was one of the classes I had trouble staying awake in. He was a little on the serious side, didn't joke much. But I can tell, that in that head of his was a wealth of knowledge, and from the way he carried out his lectures, I know that he really wanted to impart some of it to his students. He enjoyed teaching, I reckon, because he was really passionate about the subject. I had a couple of friends who were planning to go on a project supervised by him as their post graduate thesis study. I'm not sure what he was researching on, but I know he had to look for volunteers to cycle for 6 hours straight, or to exhaustion. Haha...tough luck looking for those.

So even though I don't know him on a personal basis, his loss is very much felt by me. Simply because he lost his life doing what he probably loved to do - cycling. Like all other fallen athletes, I feel a deep sadness when I learn of their demise, because such spirit and enthusiasm about fitness and sports is what the world needs a little more of.

My deepest condolences are with his family and friends, especially his 3 young children and his partner.