In the Epic of Gilgamesh we witness firsthand the start of a very strong bond between two men, a brotherhood. We are introduced first to Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk, who is two-thirds god and one-third man. Although he is considered to be the greatest of all men his actions towards his people are not very becoming of a king; raping brides on their wedding nights is an example of this. “Gilgamesh does not leave a girl to her betrothed!” (A60) To counteract Gilgamesh’s magnificence, Enkidu is created. These two men become friends and throughout the epic we are able to experience the growth of their brotherhood from the hardships that they overcome together. When death comes upon Enkidu, Gilgamesh is struck with an enormous amount of grief. “I mourn for Enkidu, my friend. I shriek in anguish like a mourner… an evil demon appeared and took him away from me!” (A,30) They had become like one or as we would say in modern times “two peas in a pod”. To lose this dear friend left Gilgamesh confused. The death of a loved one is never easy and often may come as a surprise; As a result family and friends are left to mourn and often with many unanswered questions.
Recently in East New York, Brooklyn a final match of an international soccer tournament took place involving St. Lucia and Jamaica. As many people know when you are part of a team you become family or like brothers/sisters with your fellow teammates. Well that was the case for Phillip Tisson who was a player for St. Lucia who had scored the winning goal bringing them to the Finals. Unfortunately Mr. Tisson was shot and killed not too long after the qualifying game and was never able to compete at the finals in Brooklyn. His father, teammates, and fans mourned the loss of this peaceful man. “His teammates spent the week mourning, training, and searching for answers.” The killer is unknown and many are left wondering why someone would elect to shoot a man of such excellence following his dreams. A father and a son and a man and his team both have unique bonds that when broken due to an untimely death leave people to mourn and ask why this has to happen.
In the past, the present and future death has and will always be the source of great pain for many individuals because death is inevitable. The reason for this is that it often leaves many people questioning; why here and why now? A big reason for these questions is because people have an underlying fear of death and believe it is never the right time. This was clearly present in the Epic of Gilgamesh when Gilgamesh was faced with the death of his best friend, an experience that had been completely alien to him. He was left asking himself why here, why now? Although we may all experience it differently, this feeling of sorrow is present in all humans in the experience of a loss.
“At Soccer Game, Remembrance for a Fallen Player” New York Times, September 6, 2010
