Every day, thousands of people pass away. About two people die per second in the world. There is no way for us to ever know each of these people. But someone knows them. Every person who dies is a child, parent, sibling, friend, cousin, grandparent or coworker. When celebrities pass away, society is quick to highlight the loss of this "VIP," whether by talking about them, watching their TV shows or posting about them on social media. Typically, these celebrities are known of by thousands or millions, but they are not close friends or close loved ones to the person who passed. Perhaps the celebrities were known only as someone who was followed on social media, watched on TV or seen in a movie or concert. These losses are still valid events to be saddened about. A life lost is a life lost. Death is sad, and it should not be taken lightly, no matter who it is.
Then, there are the more common losses, which are those who pass away that are not celebrities. Society doesn't praise these people because they do not have the status. But they are still someone's child, parent, sibling, friend, cousin, grandparent or coworker.
Most likely, someone you know is grieving the loss of one of these relationships right now. They're experiencing the gut-wrenching loss of someone gone too soon and someone they loved and truly cared about. They're crying and struggling to take that next breath or even debating whether they want to ever take another breath. I know the feeling of that grief all too well. This grief stays with me and reminds me of its existence at random times every day.
A thought I've had lately has been, "I don't want someone I love to think the loss of their loved one is any less significant because someone more popular also passed away." We need to be careful to make sure that the people we love (our friends and family) know they are cared about. Our loved ones need to know that their loss matters, and their loved one who passed away was and is loved.
Everyone is significant to someone.