“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new”. The above quote is taken from Steve Jobs Commencement address at Sanford University, June 12th, 2005. And while the statement is real, true and factual death’s timing continues to baffle even the most intelligent, the most God- fearing and most accepting among us. The recent deaths of the afore-mentioned Steve Jobs, founder of Apple and a man who through his ideas has re-shaped our very existence and that of Grenada’s own Anthony ‘Jericho’ Greenidge once again has many questioning why the good ones, the young ones, the influential ones always seem to go too soon. While the moaning and grieving is inevitable, death also provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our own existence. As we look back on the impact of Jericho, for example, we are given an opportunity to question our own impact, to determine what our own legacy will be, to figure out how many lives we have touched on this very short journey called life. Jericho, to me, represented the quintessential Grenadian spirit, someone with a rigorous zest for life, an undying desire to help others and an incomparable passion to make others happy. He always acceded to all my requests to use his fame to make a positive impact. He was the voice of the celebrity football games that has raised over $20,000 over the last three years for a variety of charities. He made appearances at calypso workshops for school kids, at cricket matches in Clozier, at press conferences, at handing over ceremonies, interviews and where ever else he knew his voice and presence would make a difference for a good cause or simply make people happy. We are all familiar with Jericho’s legacy, we will all miss him for a very, very long time to come, however, a fantastic opportunity is now presented to us to keep his legacy alive by incorporating what Jericho stood for into our daily lives. That would be the best tribute to a man who was not self-centered and egotistical. Because when the tears dry up, flowers wither away and the cards are forgotten, we can still honor his legacy even if by making a fraction of the difference he did. And as Jericho has taught us making a difference can be as simple as it is rewarding, as effortless as it is impactful. So the next time we are tempted to use the phone to gossip, use it instead to check up on an elderly relative, practice random acts of kindness to complete strangers, speak to instead of about people, enjoy God’s creation – the moon, the sun rising and setting, the vegetation or anything else that can put a song in the soul and make it easier to share the joy that comes with that song. As Steve Jobs said, ‘death is life’s change agent, it clears out the old to make way for the new’, let that new be you, a you that can in some way impact your world and those around so that when the destination that is death comes you too will have a legacy to pass on. Dexter Mitchell November 7, 2011