17/06/2025
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Last week, on Thursday, we awoke to the heart-wrenching news of the Air India Boeing 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad. On a tragic day that began like any other, a plane took offโbut never reached its destination. It crashed into a building, instantly ending the lives of not only those on board but also individuals who were simply going about their daily routines. Reports indicate the tragedy claimed the lives of 241 on board, leaving one survivor as well over 28 people who were inside the medical hostel building.
They were not on the plane. They were not passengers. They were not members of the flight crew. They were not connected with the aircraft. They were just going about their ordinary livesโstudying, sleeping, perhaps preparing to go about their dayโwhen their lives were abruptly and gruesomely terminated. As we still grieve the loss of so many, we are faced with a tough reality: life is extremely fragile, and most times, our fate is beyond our control. The deaths of those inside the buildingโunsuspecting, unprepared, and uninvolvedโserve as a painful reminder that tragedy does not always knock before entering. It can strike us even at the most ordinary moments and in the safest places. This abrupt loss is also a formidable reminder to those of us living that life is uncertain and human control has its limits. Yes, the people who died in this hostel building had no reason to expect that they would not survive the day. Their deaths werenโt the consequence of any choice or riskโthey were simply victims of lifeโs tragic unpredictability, caught in the wrong place at a time no one could foresee.
We like to put our lives in order with routines, duties, and carefully thought-out arrangements. We schedule alarms, make appointments, and establish long-term goalsโall under the implicit assumption that tomorrow will arrive just as today did. Then there are days like this one that blow that fantasy. Days like this serve as a painful reminder that we cannot fully control our lives. No matter our plans, achievements, or careful arrangements, life can shiftโor stopโabruptly.
So, as we mourn, we must also reflect. Not in terror, but in awareness. Not in despair, but on purpose. Tragedy in life not only causes sadness, but it also brings clarity. It eliminates distractions and compels us to confront what is genuinely important: how we choose to live, what we live for, and what we leave behind. We cannot dictate how life ends, but we can decide how we live.
My dear reader, treasure every hourโit's a gift, and don't wait for the "perfect moment" to express love, gratitude, or pardon. Life does not offer refunds for hours spent or opportunities unused. Let go of what doesnโt serve youโespecially petty conflicts. In the grand scheme of life, many arguments and grudges are not worth the weight they carry. Donโt let pride rob you of peace. Choose forgiveness over being right and healing over holding on. Life is too short to live entangled in bitterness.
We can't control when we die, but we can control how we live. Let each day be marked by integrity, kindness, and contribution. Be the kind of person whose presence leaves people better and whose absence is deeply felt for the right reasons. Because the truth is, we may never be on the planeโbut life, in its unpredictability, can still place us in the path of its crash.
And so, in moments like theseโwhen tragedy hits close to home or pierces the veil of our everyday routinesโwe are reminded to live not merely with motion, but with meaning. Because in the end, no matter our wealth, position, or plans, we are all bound by the same fragile thread of mortality. As my mentor, Dr. David Abdulai, once said, โMan is nothing more than a bundle of bones wrapped in fleshโdestined one day to become a feast for maggots.โ Life is fleeting, and death is inevitableโbut the real question is when and how it will come.
