Silence may at times prove golden, but a world without words is simply unimaginable. Language is the divine tool upon which rests civilization.

Thanks to words, we can express and share the most intricate and delicate concepts. Words shatter the time barrier; they are the immortal mirror of our soul.

The world is a stage where each human being plays a role, which lasts 700,000 hours on average. Verbal communication often shapes the actor?s personality. This is why, when his role is over, the player wraps in his last words his contribution to the theatre of life, showing his heart?s depth before he departs.

Strong believers often demonstrate the depth of their faith before leaving this world. Despite being blind and unwell, my grand mother who was a Catholic, is reported to have stared the ceiling and begged Saint Christopher to pray for her on the eve of her ultimate departure. It was on St Christopher?s day and only Grand-Ma knows if she was really seeing him!

Abbe Pierre , founder of Emmaus France and great defender of the poor, is reported to have expired while hailing Mary in murmurs. ?Please let me go to the house of my father? said Pope John Paul II before he stepped out of the stage.

This shows his strong belief in rebirth to a life with God rather than the end of it all.

Cardiologist Omar Uteem is reported to have humbly implored the merciful before expiring showing his great faith. Mahatma Gandhi called the name of Ram under his killer?s gunshots. Martin Luther King is said to have asked his friend Ben Branch to ?make sure? he played Precious Lord, Take My Hand at the concert he was to stage in. Little did he know he would be fatally shot in the throat shortly afterwards!

Those examples do not exclude those whose last words do not refer to God from the ranks of believers. Painter Corot asked whether he could paint in heaven, while classical dancer Pavlova asked to get her swan costume ready.

Keats left this world in poetry claiming he felt flowers grow over his fading body. Writer Oscar Wilde held a glass of Champagne declaring derisively ?I shall die beyond my means!?

Musician Beethoven who was deaf, wished he would hear in heaven.

Che Guevara scornfully told his killers they would only kill a man before they shoot him.

His myth still outlives his passage on earth!

Queen Elizabeth 1 asked to contemplate her possessions before dying while inventor Thomas Edison was relishing at the beauty of life after death exclaiming

?it?s beautiful over there? while stepping into it !

While we are paying tribute to those who have already played their role on earth stage, would it not be worthwhile to verify our scripts, think about our role and act to the best of our capacity.

When we die, our tongue will surely mirror the song our soul was always made to favour. Think about it?