Famous Last Words

It isn't often that what you say is important. More attention is paid to actions. But there are moments in our lives when the right thing being said makes all the difference. The moment just before death would be one such time. Last words are given weight and assume an almost immortal quality. Their importance is suggested merely by the fact that they are the last words a person speaks before dying...so, whatever is said, must be important. Now, it may not be possible to put much thought into this, planning to say something profound, since it is impossible to know the exact time of our deaths. You might think you're dying any minute, and so, you say the thing you've been planning on saying as your last words. But what if you don't die right after you've said what you thought were going to be your last words? What if you go on living for days or weeks or months? You can't just remain silent for the rest of that time, and to repeat those "last words" later, when you're actually about to die, would not be as significant since you had used them once before. We can't all be lucky enough to say things as profound as "Take care of your mother," or "I'll love you always," or as seemingly arbitrary and intriguing as "Rosebud." And what if you die before you get to finish what you were trying to say. "Always remember..." and then you croak, and those that survive you are left with an unsolvable mystery. Writing a letter to be read posthumously does seem a way to avoid all this uncertainty when it comes to last words. But then, those are not really your last words. They may be the last words of yours that someone reads, but assuming you haven't died immediately after writing the letter, those written words would not be your last. However, the written word does come with its own weight. It is common to believe that someone would not have gone to the trouble of writing something down if it had not been important. You'd also have the opportunity to think about what you want to say and say it right. Hell, you could have it professionally edited and snazzied up by some creative writer. So, maybe written words that you designate to be read after you're dead would hold more significance than ones spoken in your last moments on earth. Or maybe you have no choice in it at all. If I were to die right now, this blog post would be considered my last words...I shudder at the thought.