The Last Scene!!

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;

-        Shakespeare in ‘As You Like it’

ACT – 1

God gave us life.

And HE pretty much, let us decide how we run our lives.

So, it’s our show – our script, our direction, our dialog, our song and dance sequences, our happy and sad scenes, we create heroes and villains and we make our own real-life movie!

However, and

But,

HE decides the last & final scene!!

We have zero control on our very last scene – when it will come, where will it come and how will it come.

That’s real mean of HIM!

Ask any movie maker to make a movie and tell him that the end scene/ grand finale scene will be decided by you – when, where and how. And he would politely ask you to go climb a tree and jump!

But in real life we are totally helpless. We make our life-time movie and GOD decides the ending. And he could be very very unpredictable. 

He could switch you off anytime, anywhere – at your peak action phase, in the midst of your beautiful love story, during your sad scenes or just let you go on and on until you yourself die of accumulated pain & boredom!

And sometimes even after you have exhausted all your scripts and all your dramatics and everything you wished to tell the world, he will continue to keep you hanging on stage, much to the inconvenience & irritation and anger of all other stage players!

And that is NOT done!!

So I wish to send a petition to HIM :

Let us choose our final scene.

We have a right.

We have worked our entire life for it!!

And let’s assume HE says OK – then what??

ACT  - 2

Ask folks at random, how they wish to die, and you might get some of these answers…

-        Peacefully while I am sleeping

-        Like this (snap of a finger), just pop off

-        Instantly in a plane crash or auto crash. (train crash is not a preferred option)

-        Die together – holding hands and quickly.

-        Other causes like bullets / knives/ earthquakes/ floods/ sharks & crocs come far far behind!

And please note none of them want those complicated hospital scenes, home scenes where you lie emaciated on your death bed with your entire family crowded all around you.

All of these routes – such an anti-climax to a wonderful life journey!

Imagine the hero, after fighting all the villains and rescuing his true love, goes to his bed room, switches off his light, to go to sleep.

What do you expect next?

Definitely you do not want him to die peacefully and start rolling the credits on screen ??  That would never hit the box office charts.

So, you must plan something dramatic!

Your last scene must be as interesting and compelling as your entire life. It must deliver the Big Bangs and those wonderful WOWs that have been regularly punctuating your entire life!!!

Here is one suggestion..

ACT – 3

Plan a 5-day sequence.

You need that much time to set up the situation, draw the mood, get all the audience involved, build the suspense, choreograph the various expressions of all friends & family members and all the other minor details before leading up to the final shot!!

Celebrate your last birthday in style.

You must be hale and hearty - full of zest / pop and fizz. A couple of shots of you grabbing the last piece of pizza from your granddaughter at Dominos and a smoothie slurping match with your great grand son in Mc Donald will be great!

Day – 1 Complain of chest pain, visit local doc and get the pills.  Whole day & night get restless.

Day – 2 Morning, start sweating and make those strange noises. Family takes you seriously and your local doc panics. Ambulance is ordered, and you ride to the hospital in style – with siren blaring and the ambulance driving like crazy.

Express admission - Straight to OPD and then into ICU. And back into the special ward.

You get the royal treatment. The works.

Patient monitoring systems, Drips, oxygen mask, catheter, pulse monitor clip etc, etc.  

And a standby defib as well to jolt you back to your senses!

Day – 3 Try one full dress rehearsal. 

Pop off for a couple of minutes and watch the action. Nurses scampering all over, doctors called immediately, emergency declared, wheeled to the operation theater, 2-hour suspense for the entire family. Full day in ICU – no visitors.

By now, news gets flashed everywhere, WhatsApp group created to give regular updates on your health. Lots of phone calls and discussions. People living outstation put on alert. People come to your home and talk in hushed voices .

Day - 4 Back to your ward. 

Large number of visitors.  You are groggy with so much sedation that you can only mange a stupid smile and some finger movement. But you are the star now. 

3 days in the hospital and you are a changed person. You are no longer referred by your name tag but by your defective organs!

His weak heart / his defective kidneys / his collapsed lungs / his infected liver and so on … and the 3 times a day conferences with the doctors focus on these intensely.

You are not yet dead, but you have already become ‘such a nice person’.

You get prime time in all conversations – over cell/ WhatsApp/ skype/ facetime and ISD calls!

Discussion groups are formed to debate on your innards. Which hospital is best for what / great docs / how other relatives died of similar organ failures and cancer!

Coma gets discussed in great length and the legality and ethics of euthanasia is hotly debated as well! Unfortunately, no one talks of organ donation.

Many starts extolling your virtues ‘wonderful human being’ and some examine your failings – ‘he never took his diabetes seriously’, ‘you know he was a chain smoker in college and also did drugs??’ And so on…

Visiting Hours - your bed is surrounded with people with anxious faces and little kids who are persuaded by their moms to hold your finger – possible some wisdom may get transmitted this way??

And all of a sudden one small voice asks that inevitable question – ‘when will thatha die??’. The scandalized mom bursts into tears. You murmur - Bet everyone has this on their minds but were only afraid to ask!

Great scenes to watch – so much drama, suspense, nail biting anxiety. Discussion on your will and wealth and ‘what next’ scenes follow.

Folks from outstations & overseas arrive – not sure why. You wish they had come when you were in great health and could enjoy their company properly.

Day -5 Final Day.

You had your 100+ hours of fame and glory. 

That’s 6000 minutes of air time  ( at a Concessional Rates at Rs 50K per minute on prime time national news channels, you are colossally rich!).

Satisfied?  Time to log off!!

You check out the weather report – predicts bright, pleasant and shining day.

You do a bit of astral travel outside to check out if the weather man is accurate in his prediction.

Then wait for the morning shift change. Folks from home come to relieve folks standing guard here last night. You have a basic quorum now.

Take a deep breath and move on.

A morning start is always recommended.

It’s a long way up there and the climb is very steep, I am told.

You should be able to check in at the pearly gates by tea time and have a comprehensive de-brief session with your maker immediately.

Then after a quick shower and freshen up, you should be in time for the welcome dinner arranged by some of your older friends and colleagues who are eagerly waiting for you to join them in their bridge game!

And what happens down here?

Perhaps some other time, another day??

Krish..