THE LION'S LAST WORDS.
Told to his friend and confidante the Lioness who cared for him on his death bed:
"You ask me if I am afraid of death or of dying. I frankly do not know.
What I do know, as clear as the African blue sky, is that life and death are inseparable - they are two sides of the same hand. They both take - they demand to take life - at birth we grasp life and keep it as if it is ours to own forever; and at death we yield life to death reluctantly when we know very well that it was never ours to keep forever.
That is why I prefer to go with life wherever it goes. I prefer to follow life. And I'm sure even death wont keep it forever. Life will go on forever traversing the infinite. But bodies change and die and there's nothing we can do about it.
Why should I be afraid? The opposite of fear is not bravery or courage but is peaceful acceptance. And I'm ready to embrace my death peacefully.
After all I have been fearful for most of life. Fearful of the mighty buffalo while I grasped his massive head for dear life hoping that his deadly horns do not tear through my chest.
I've been carrying fear around for all my life with me everywhere for all I care to remember. But I know I've been carrying courage and bravery with me too.
Maybe it's time to let go of fear and let it not confuse me. Fear robs us our dignity, and clear vision of the future. It is fear that sees this decrepit coat and bag of bones that are a rude caricature of my life. Fear is afraid of pain, hunger and thirst. But I know that whether I am in a shiny tawny coat or in this worn-out tuberculosis ridden body, I've always been a lion. That will never change.
Why should my courage be seen only when I kill other animals? am I not as courageous in meeting my own death without resisting? Why do you want to deprive me the honour and dignity of a good death?
In all instances I am not afraid. I am not afraid of life and I am not afraid of death. I am a lion. A lion never dies. If you want to see a lion dont look for him in his majestic mane. You will never find him in his shiny coat and rippling muscles. He never resides in his mighty roar. If it were so everyone would be a lion. But the real lion lives beyond your treacherous senses. He lives in the heart. He is greater than bravery and courage.
He accepts both life and death on their own terms. He smiles at pain because it cant change him. He smiles at desease because it cant rob him of his peace. He smiles at sympathy and remorse and regret because he knows they are not permanent.
There is only one thing I regret in this life. Wherever I go I will miss the sunrise and sunset because they taught me a great lesson in life - hope, today and tomorrow, and the future.
So let me depart a lion, unafraid and unlioned.
And with my dignity. Goodbye my love. See you soon.
Pula, Nala, Peace."
That very evening a pack of hyenas led by queen Heidi the undertaker divested the mortal remains of Tau the lion, but Tau the lion followed death and is still alive.