I started my day this morning reading through the listing in the New York Times of Notable Deaths. These are the people who passed in 2022 of whom the Times takes special note.
It was sad, but it was also a bracing journey back through time. I met only a few of these people in person, but many of them had a profound effect on my life.
Most of these were extraordinary individuals who led exceptional lives. The rest were ordinary people who happened to find themselves on the cusp of some historic event.
Reading about all their lives, it felt as though many points of light were firing in my brain at once. I have been influenced by people on this list in so many ways.
As we go through each day, we can forget the richness of the cultural influences that surround us. It is useful to think about the people who enrich that culture, and then are gone — a reminder that we each have only a certain amount of time on this plane.
In a way, it comes down to a simple question: “What will I make of the time that I have?”