Interact: Anyone can Become a Photograph Tomorrow

*By Dr. Devan

We live our lives as if tomorrow is guaranteed. We assume the people around us will always be there — the friend we fought with, the parent we took for granted, the colleague we ignored, the neighbour we misunderstood. Yet, the truth is far more fragile and unsettling: anyone, by the next day, can become a photograph on a wall, a framed memory, or a name whispered in past tense. When we internalise this truth, our interactions with people transform. Our tone softens, our words gain meaning, and our hearts learn compassion.

The Fragility of Human Existence

Life is uncertain — not in a poetic, philosophical way, but in a brutally real one. Every day, thousands of people around the world wake up without the faintest idea that it will be their last sunrise. Death is not a respecter of age, wealth, health, or plans. It arrives unannounced, and when it does, it leaves behind not just silence, but lessons for those who survive.

When you realise that the person standing before you may not see another dawn, something shifts within you. The trivial loses its grip. Ego begins to dissolve. You start seeing the human being — not their mistakes, not their differences, but their shared fragility.

We often live in emotional blindness, consumed by petty quarrels and wounded pride, unaware that the person we are angry at might be gone tomorrow. The graveyards of the world are filled with unsaid apologies and unspoken affections.

The Power of Perspective

When you truly live with the awareness that life is temporary, you begin to see time differently. Every conversation becomes sacred. Every smile becomes a gift. You start valuing presence more than perfection.

Imagine this: the person you see every day — your spouse, your child, your friend, or your parent — may, by tomorrow, exist only in photographs. Would you still argue over the same trivial thing? Would you still delay saying “I love you”? Would you still let your pride silence your heart?

If we interacted with others as if today were their last day, we would listen more deeply, speak more gently, and love more freely. This awareness purifies human relationships. It strips away superficiality and exposes the essence of connection — empathy, presence, and gratitude.

The Transformative Power of Empathy

Empathy begins when ego ends. Most conflicts arise from a failure to see another person’s pain. But when you remember that tomorrow they may not be here, you begin to listen not to respond, but to understand. You start seeing people not as obstacles, but as fellow travellers on the same uncertain journey.

Empathy is the highest form of human intelligence. It does not require agreement; it requires presence. It means saying, “I see you, I hear you, and I understand that your time, like mine, is limited.”

A simple act of empathy — a kind word, a patient silence, a gentle hand on a shoulder — can linger in memory long after you are gone.

The Poison of Ego and the Antidote of Mortality

Ego thrives in the illusion of permanence. It tells you, “You’ll have another chance,” “You can apologise later,” “You can visit them next week.” But when death interrupts that illusion, regret becomes unbearable.

We waste precious time proving we are right instead of being kind. We guard our pride as if it were more valuable than peace. Yet, one stroke of fate, one phone call, one accident — and all the arguments dissolve into irrelevance.

When you accept that anyone can be gone tomorrow, ego loses its power. You start forgiving faster, thanking more often, and appreciating what once went unnoticed. You realise that the smallest gesture of kindness — a text, a call, a hug — might be the last memory someone carries of you.

Living with Awareness, Not Fear

This realisation should not make us morbid or fearful. It should make us awake. Awareness of mortality should not paralyse us; it should energise us to live fully and love deeply.

When you realise that every interaction might be your last with someone, you start living more consciously. You pay attention to tone, to timing, to tenderness. You choose your words with care, because you understand they might echo in someone’s memory for the rest of their life.

This awareness turns life into a prayer. It transforms the mundane into the meaningful. The way you greet someone, the way you listen, the way you smile — they all gain a quiet sacredness.

The Legacy of How You Made People Feel

People will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. This truth becomes magnified when death enters the scene. After someone is gone, we rarely recall the details of their life — what they owned, what they achieved — but we vividly remember the warmth of their presence, the sound of their laughter, and the kindness they extended.

Every interaction leaves an emotional footprint. When we live with the consciousness of mortality, we start leaving footprints of love, not indifference; of compassion, not criticism.

So, the next time you interact with someone, pause and ask: If this person were gone tomorrow, would I be at peace with the way I treated them today?

Stories that Teach Us the Lesson

Think of the friend you meant to call but didn’t. The parent whose advice you dismissed. The colleague you never appreciated. Then imagine waking up to the news that they are no more. The wave of regret that follows such realisations is unbearable because we recognise, too late, that kindness costs nothing — but regret costs everything.

Many people have experienced this awakening only after loss. They realise that love left unexpressed is the heaviest burden to carry. But the wise do not wait for death to teach them this lesson — they learn it in advance and live accordingly.

The Practice of Mindful Interaction

How can we cultivate this awareness in everyday life?

Pause before speaking. Ask yourself if your words will add warmth or wound.

Look into people’s eyes when you talk. It humanises them and connects you to their presence.

Express gratitude often. Don’t wait for special occasions; every moment is special.

Forgive quickly. Forgiveness does not mean weakness — it means freedom from emotional baggage.

End every interaction with kindness. You never know which one will be the last.

If we all practiced these principles, our world would be gentler, our relationships deeper, and our hearts lighter.

When You Become the Photograph

One day, it will be you who becomes the photograph. Others will recall your smile, your words, your essence. What will they remember?

Will they remember your arrogance or your empathy? Your sarcasm or your sincerity? The small acts of love you gave, or the moments you withheld them?

You are writing your eulogy with every interaction, not with grand achievements but with daily gestures — how you make people feel in your presence.

So, live in such a way that when you become the photograph, your absence will still radiate warmth.

The Sacredness of Today

Today is not just another day. It is one more chance — perhaps your last — to speak kindness, to heal wounds, to lift someone’s spirit, to forgive, to say “I love you.”

Don’t postpone what your heart feels. Don’t wait for a better time to be better. Every sunrise is a silent invitation from the universe to interact with others as if it’s the final opportunity.

Because someday, it will be.

Final Reflection

To live with the realisation that anyone can be gone tomorrow is to live in profound awareness. It is to rise above petty conflicts, to treat every human interaction as sacred, and to replace judgment with compassion.

Life is short, unpredictable, and fleeting — but the beauty lies in this very impermanence. For it is impermanence that gives urgency to love, meaning to time, and value to connection.

So, the next time you meet someone — a friend, a stranger, a loved one — look at them and silently remind yourself: This soul is as temporary as mine. Let me leave them better than I found them.

If you live by that truth, you will never regret a single goodbye.

In the end, our legacy is not built of possessions or power, but of how we treated people while we still could. Live each day with the full awareness that anyone can become a photograph tomorrow — and you will have truly mastered the art of being human.

*Dr Devan is a Mangaluru-based ENT specialist and author.