I remember watching Siskel & Ebert in my childhood living room. After a long session of studying, I turned on the television on late Sunday nights and caught their movie reviews. After learning about Mr. Ebert’s passing, I felt a sadness for a person I never met. I suspect it is because yet another staple of my past is gone. We are all victims of time’s clenched fist. The continuum of goodbyes always unsettles me. It magnifies how painfully I am aware of the passage of time. What we know now, experience in this moment takes flight almost as soon as it manifests. So how do we cope with this  impermanence? I believe Mr. Ebert’s words offer some clarity on how to navigate the pendulum of happiness and sorrow.

“I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try.”

Rest in peace, Roger Ebert.