By Ibrahim Bello-Kano
Whenever a good person dies, Death deals Goodness a hard blow. Prof. David Ker was a good person, a kind man and an inspiring academic. His death has denied Goodness a chance to do more for humanity. The consoling thing in his death is that he has left behind a huge legacy of kindness, cheerfulness, good deeds, and a commitment to academic excellence. I mourn his passing, his permanent passing, because he will never die again. His is a permanent victory over Death.
This, indeed, is the beauty of Death: it happens once and never again. He has died the Good Death, a kind of reconciliation with the vital forces of Nature, with Cosmic Music that is, overall, a great celebration with the great Cosmos. When eventually the Earth dies through the Cold Death or the Heat Death, Prof. Ker’s remains would be dispersed and preserved both at once in the great cauldron of Galactic Winds and Black Holes and the tidal waves of Exo-planets and Supernovae. Prof. Ker will be missed not only by his family and relatives but also by the academic community, to which he has given so much. May this remains be part of the next Big Bang in about 200 billion-billion years to come.
The author is a Professor of Literary Theory at Bayero University, Kano in Northwestern Nigeria