If my Facebook news feed is, in fact, real news, 2016 will go down as the "Year of Death." Artists and celebrities that have inspired us - Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, Alan Rickman, Carrie Fisher, Gene Wilder, Elie Wiesel, Muhammed Ali, Phife Dawg, Harper Lee, Merle Haggard, Debbie Reynolds, the forgotten Glen Frey and many more - have shed these mortal coils and made 2016 a very grim year for the reaper.
I hate to break it to everyone but I fear 2017, and the subsequent years thereafter, will also "suck balls" as some of the Facebook posts, Tweets, Grams, Snaps and other social verbs have encouraged the current year to do so in regard to the death of those that have touched us and made us feel some type of way (some type of way).
The media saturation, of both consumption and creation, will undoubtedly prove the contention.
Both "news" media consumption - filling news feeds and fulfilling our needs to be connected in a confusing, disconnected world - and abundant content media creation where we watch and listen to a multitude of new voices - no matter how shrill (Kardashians do inspire people) or real (hang in there Willie, Ms. Apple & Steven Patrick), it seems there are more famous people alive today that at any point in history and ultimately, they will all have to die.
Andy Warhol said, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." We have already passed that exit on this highway.
The sign ahead: "In the future, a famous person will die every day." The math is quite clear without the need of even the most basic of algorithms.
Should we get used to it? Should we normalize death coming in strange hours, unannounced? How about the deaths of our everyday celebrities - our family and feast of friends? Should we just accept the loss as fodder for feeds?
The stars in our skies - near and far - will eventually nova.
We can lessen the pain by celebrating every day that we have breath. Look for ways to spread that which inspires you to those that need inspiration. Make deliberate efforts to break down those walls that divide us in the interest of banner ads, commerce and global agendas. The only way we will survive, is together. And maybe, if we get a little crazy.
In the mean time, I will still be "lookin' for that purple banana 'til they put us in the truck."
