Without life there's no life

What is the most precious thing? To me the most precious thing in life is life. It is the thing everyone will do his best to protect and sustain for as long as possible because without life there is no life. That is why even the oldest man with all his teeth long gone and eyes so dim that he can no longer see, does not want to die. I know what I am talking about because in my teenage years I lived in a hospital where I witnessed many people on their death beds, and I testify that the fiercest battle is not the front-line battle between enemy armies. The fiercest battle is the battle to stay alive.

Some of the victims of the Rwenzururu attacks. In the background the palace is burning [Internet photo]

 And death, when it happens, leaves deep wounds in the lives of those left behind. Every person alive means a whole lot to some one out there; maybe a friend or relative. I will never forget the day death stole my cousin who doubled as my best friend. I had grown up with him; we had attended the same schools and lived in the same village right from primary to high school. Five years later I still struggle to believe that he died. He was the realest, nicest person ever. He had the biggest heart, had the warmest personality and was the only guy I know you never managed to provoke into rage. But what stood out was how selfless he was; the epitome of humanness.

He was one of those few and rare gems who live a life of such quality that just thinking about them alone inspires the best in you and provides sufficient fuel for you to excel at everything you do. That is the kind of mark some people leave in the lives of others. 

Imagine then how hurtful it can be; how deep the wounds go when such lives are unfairly snuffed out by political monsters as was the case in Kasese recently when the Ugandan army attacked the Rwenzururu Kingdom and killed over 80 people including burning down the palace.  If you take away precious lives ingloriously, how do you expect those in their lives not to fight back?