The ABCs of Living Beyond the Possession of Things
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi. In an internet article, The Fallen Stars: Regret or Relief? , co-authors Tan Wei Yuan and Loh Chuan Junn posed the sobering questions, “Why do celebrities choose to end their lives when it seems like they have everything in their grasp?” They highlighted a number of young performing artistes who have chosen to make their own lives. In chronological order, these include: Marilyn Monroe (1926 – 1962) Age: 36 Kurt Cobain (1967 – 1994): Age: 27 Leslie Cheung (1956 – 2003) Age: 47 Heath Ledger (1979 – 2008) Age: 29 Ai Iijima (1972 – 2008) Age: 36 Choi Jin-sil (1968 – 2008) Age: 40 Jang Ja Yun (1982 – 2009) Age: 27 Park Yong Ha (1977 – 2010) Age: 33 Each and every one of them possessed looks and talents worth dying for! All were extremely successful in every material sense. Yet not of all of them lived past 47 years of age for all committed suicide in the prime of their