Reaffirming the idea that death is the cessation of existence and is simply a return to the state of non-existence.

Or, if you want some pretty flourishes, there are the first two sentences of Nabokov’s autobiography Speak, Memory:

The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness. Although the two are identical twins, man, as a rule, views the prenatal abyss with more calm than the one he is heading for (at some forty-five hundred heartbeats an hour).

Death is the same as prenatal existence: ‘the same state’, ‘identical twins’. Being aware of this terrible state—that of zero possible consciousness—could be considered a kind of Known Unknown, in that it can be recognised or anticipated but never ‘experienced’ or ‘known’. As Ebert notes further down, ‘I will not be conscious of the moment of passing’.

At any rate, by writing ‘I was perfectly content before I was born’, Roger Ebert trundles over the awkward twists and turns of talking about whether it’s possible to ‘know’ or ‘experience’ your own death. It’s a kind of deft anthropomorphism of his own pre-existing self, as he endows this purely hypothetical creature with the capacity for feeling. He manages in this to communicate his own calm in the face of death, while also indicating that this very calm derives ultimately from a rational appreciation that applying to death the measures of conscious human life (fear, pain, dissatisfaction, contentment) would be an absurdity. Being ‘content’ on either side of life is a stiff-upper-lip way of saying, and meaning literally, ‘Well, I couldn’t possibly complain’.

Roger Ebert, although raised a Roman Catholic, was openly critical of religion and the theories coming from it. This questioning and critical thinking helped shape his view of the world and his view of the non-existence of an afterlife

Lolling is the action of hanging or drooping in a limp fashion. In this dark dream-land the flowers lack signs of life and do not remain upright

Lilies have been associated with various representations. They are commonly associated with death and dying but have also been associated with hope, purity and the Virgin Mary. Dreaming about lilies has been said to represent the loss or death of a loved one, a common theme throughout much of Poe’s literature

The endless lakes conjure images of dark and infinite uncertainty. Lakes are bodies of water which tend to be cut off from the ocean and therefore remain alone and secluded harboring characteristics different to less secluded waters. Because they are seperate from the sea their waters tend to remain still, dead

Rumor has it “The Blueprint” classic
Couldn’t even be stopped by Bin Laden
So September 11th marks the era forever
Of a revolutionary Jay Guevera

‘The Blueprint’ was released on September 11th 2001, the same date as the tragic events which caused the fall of the World Trade Center. The accident and the fact that people sold bootlegs of the record didn’t stop him from topping the Billboard Chart.

The line also recalls his verse on “Change The Game” off the Dynasty album:

Please repeat after me – there’s only one rule
I WILL NOT, LOSE!

Up until January 1st 1959, Cuba was under the rule of right-wing dictator Fulgencio Batista. Batista’s demise occured due to the Cuban Revolution conducted by Fidel Castro who along with his allies, went on to form the Communist Party of Cuba. This formation led to Cuba’s allegiance with communist allies in countries such as the Soviet Union who were seen as a threat to the capitalist order of the United States of America. This perceived threat from communist forces created friction and tension between Cuba and America culminating in incidencies such as the ‘Bay of Pigs Invasion’ by anti-communist Cuban rebels funded by the CIA in April 1961 and the ‘Cuban Missile Crisis’ in October 1962

The Assembly should be considered and remembered throughout history as a step towards progress and the solution to the worlds ills rather than a pointless ‘oratorical tournament’ and simply known as the ‘19th UN Assembly’

Imperialism is the influence, control and occupation of a nation by foreign peoples who strive to maintain power over the indigenous population. Imperialism is used to describe empires such as the Roman Empire and the formerly mention British Empire who still exterted control and influence throughout the globe due to the lingering power of their empire, this influence is based on culture, politics and economics with smaller sovereign nations struggling for true independence in these areas they were still vulnerable and susceptible to manipulation meaning their presence at the UN could be seen as pointless if they were unable to gain self-determination

Che and the people he speaks for would like to see the UN addressing the issues that plague the people of the world, rather than remain satisfied and moving to invoke action whether it be controversial or not

By 1922 the British Empire was recognized as the largest empire in history, with 20% of the world’s population under it’s colonial rule it’s influence was widespread exerting it’s ideologies, language and culture upon the world from it’s foundations in the 15th century