In the month of August this year, I had the privilege of witnessing a very glamorous birthday ceremony of a well-to-do friend. I could not turn down his invitation because we have known each other since our childhood. The weirdness of this invitation hinged on the fact that this was his maiden invitation to me. As the champagnes were popped and the spirits ran high amidst the melodious tunes that kept our heads nodding in unison, a sudden shock dawned on me to the effect that man was not growing any younger.

The stark reality of the irreversibility of the aging process overpowered my mind as I left his house. In the midst of this, what seemed to amuse me was the notion that, just as clothes are meant to cover our nakedness, so are birthdays meant to mitigate the consciousness of our closeness to death. Beyond that, I realised that there is no escaping the truth that, our existence on the earth is only a perpetual exit into the world of eternity.

So for the adult, birthday celebrations are constant reminders of how we are crawling unenthusiastically to our graves. And for the young, it is a rehearsed welcome and initiation into a world that is unpredictable but lovely. Perhaps, the only happiness inherent in the celebration is the acknowledgement of the fact that we are alive to see how life has treated us fairly or unfairly.
When I had the opportunity to wish him well after several wishes from some of those present, all that I could whisper into his ears was, ‘Charlie, I wish you long life and prosperity and more of this celebration.’ Incidentally, he held my shoulders and retorted calmly, ‘My brother, it has happened so fast.’ In order to satisfy my curiosity, I asked, ‘what has happened so fast?’ He responded, ‘Yesterday blessed me with youth, today has deprived me of what was mine yesterday and I do not know what tomorrow holds for me.’
At that point, my mind ferried me to the biblical truism that all men are like the grass of the field, today they blossom, and tomorrow they wither. I looked at him, smiled and declared, ‘Such is the way of all men, enjoy today because it is what you have and leave to what you have no control over to providence.’ After this encounter, I did not fail as you would expect to treat my soul well to the goodies that were freely available.
We wish to live long and fruitful lives. Even the worst criminal or politician loves to stay longer to enjoy the toils of his labour. I recently read that even the good old Mugabe at the age of 89 has expressed a wish that his life will be longer. (See: Mugabe: ‘If Only We Could Live Longer’-Peacefmonline.com) Can you blame him for his wish? He may not live longer to appraise his legacies but I trust posterity will expose him for scrutiny.
Personally, the best moment of any birthday celebration is not the music, the food or the best of wishes from friends and family members. They are good but supplementary. The best moment is when everything is over, you retire into your bedroom or secret place and take a thorough stock of your life. During this period, you process the successes, failures and possible positive projections into the future. When this is effectively done, one realises that a clearer perspective and meaning are added to our lives.
The inevitability of remembering our birthdays points to the fact we are products manufactured with expiry dates. When our time is due to be moved off the shelves, there is nothing we can do to stick to the shelves. For we must be taken off for fresher stock to come in.
There are different ways that people commemorate the addition of a year to their lives. My friend’s own was relatively moderate with few friends and family members present. Others, of course, go the extra mile to always make it a memorable one despite the huge cost. Whichever way we choose to celebrate this occasion, we should not forget this irony of life: we celebrate our birthdays for the addition of a year to our lives but in reality, the quality of our lives diminishes with each passing birthday celebration. And this is a sharp contrast to the wine theory: the older the wine, the better it is.
SOURCE: OKOFO-DARTEY SAMUEL
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