The Real Death of a Facebook Friend

Recently, someone I know, a facebook friend, an okay acquaintance of mine passed away in the most unfortunate of instances. I'm rather confused about how I should feel as we are acquaintances. I don't feel particularly entitled to be upset. It is for his family and close ones to grieve, for my grief is only self pity, a cry for attention that really unneeded in these times. I don't know what to feel but hope those who cared deeply for him find solace that he had led a good life, successfully pursuing opportunities limited to a worthy few. His circumstances were not great and he had managed to get to where he did. I almost feel undeserving to be his peer, for not cherishing what I have and the opportunities given. With as little morbidly as I can muster, he probably deserve his PhD position more than me.

I was speaking to a rather good friend about this incident and he said: At least I'm glad you are still alive. It is at once, a flattering yet chilling reminder of how the inward focused life has become. I'm glad my friend prefers me alive, but he seems not to be at all afflicted with general malaise caused by the passing of an acquaintance. Perhaps I am at the wrong extreme, generally feeling upset for people that I don't know well, 2nd degree friends etc. Maybe I shall better utilize my energies, for I too have learnt that really no one cares a crap about you.

Death is just another event in life. And I have recently been reading this (from a mobile app): Ordinary people seem not to realize that those who really apply themselves in the right way to philosophy are directly and of their own accord preparing themselves for dying and death. - Socrates