On the 26th of January, 2020, the world came together, mourning the loss of a basketball great, a father, and an inspiration.

Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter accident alongside his daughter Gianna.

Memorials were made, posts on social media came flooding in, former teammates and coaches rallied behind his death with their praises and memories of him.

NBA fans came together talking about his legacy and how he was one of the top 3 best basketball players of all time.

But, you know what those same fans called Kobe just days before his untimely death?

Inefficient, wasteful, mid, top-20 at best.

This article discusses how death inflates legacies of people we know and love.

Why We Love Death

Kurt Cobain was an icon in the ’90s.

His music was a compilation of the angst built between the generation, which he shaped alongside his band Nirvana.

So I’m not going to downplay his popularity during his life; he was already a role model for millions of kids around the globe.

But in his final year, people started to resent him.

His heroin addiction had spiraled out of control and was now in the public eye, and controversies surrounding his wife Courtney clouded the public image.

He was falling out with the media, fans, and even his bandmates.

Then came the moment the world had braced for, his death on April 5, 1994.

Criticism surrounding him vanished in a flash.

His heroin use was no longer considered excessive, it became a symbol of his pain.

His mumbled lyrics were now seen as poetry, And his death put him on a pedestal rivals could only dream of.

Truth is, that’s why he’s a legend. He wasn’t the best singer, or guitarist, his attitude was considered too reckless, but his death inflated everything to 110%.

Whether we admit it or not, we love death.

Of course we hate losing people. But sometimes, death becomes the poetic bow that ties their life together.

And in those moments is where we finally start to feel the importance of not just idols, but of people close to us.

How Death Increases Appreciation

Did you know that dying can actually make you more popular?

Worthy trade or not, is up to you, but in my opinion, this is what’s wrong with many of us right now.

When people pass away, we only start to realize their importance in life.

In these hard times, we shift our attention towards them, reminiscing, regretting, and imagining.

Because of these thoughts, we start to overstate most of what they did.

Take the recent passing of Diogo Jota for example.

Before his death, he was a rotation player at Liverpool FC.

He was a good player, incredible even. But he wasn’t wildly appreciated.

Diehard fans loved him, but most football fans brushed him off as just another player.

After his death though, people shifted their heads.

They recognized him for his personality, skills, and also his influence. People demanded recognition for him.

For a few days, football posts were flooded with Jota comments.

Did he deserve the love? Yes, he did. But he deserved that same amount of love before his death as much as after his death.

Cherish Everybody

The main reason why we appreciate people after their death is because we finally realize their importance, I’ve highlighted this multiple times throughout the article.

What we need to learn to do is to cherish them while they are still here on this Earth.

For a moment now, I want you to think about everyone you know. Put them in a line, in a park, or wherever you want, just visualize them all there with you.

Now for each person, recognize why you consider them close to you.

From there, understand what would happen if they disappeared tomorrow. How would you react?

If you feel as though you haven’t properly said thank you, or appreciated someone enough, go to them and say it to their face.

You shouldn’t live life just appreciating the bad though.

Cherish your arguments, cherish your debates, cherish your conversations.

“Give people their flowers while they can still smell them”