Death

There are very few events that warrant the complete seizure of attention that the death of Prince Philip had on the news agenda just yesterday.

I don’t have a living memory of 9/11 or 7/7 so at the age of 25 the death of Prince Philip — and the almost disaster-movie-like interruption of the media schedule for it – is the closest thing I’ve gotten to what feels like a world-stopping moment. Even the truly world-stopping pandemic had its press conferences scheduled.

We tend not to focus on the millions of day-to-day choices and interactions that have culminated in to who we are today and will continue to compound into who we become. Instead, we look back – in that final second – at an entire lifetime of work. Acknowledge it or not, we all are making our way to that final second.

I’m a republican (in the sense that I believe anybody should be able to be Head of State) but Philip’s death serves as a memento mori – a reminder that even the mightiest and most God-ordained die.

10 Apr 2021