Kobe Bryant’s life was celebrated on Monday, February 24th, 2020. Also his daughter Gigi, was remembered with several moving moments from speeches to unseen video footage. Lots of celebrities and Sports Royalty were in attendance, with NBA stars, Lakers Family, and naturally including Kobe Bryant’s parents. Famously, and unfortunately the relationship between Kobe and his folks, has been a tenuous one. Sadly, they did not reconcile this before his untimely passing, just a month ago in January.
Everybody has a different relationship with their parents. I love mine. I feel like I’ve been blessed – because we do live in a world where not everybody loves their parents ‘like that’ — some folks have actual falling outs. Unfortunately when they don’t resolve those situation in life; it stays wrong in death too.
I feel like this topic has been everywhere; people mad that the parents were not acknowledged by more of the speakers at the memorial; folks flat out refusing to consider that perhaps they really are on bad terms; regardless of the relationship; Bad terms, is bad terms. I kinda feel like lots of people are ‘projecting’ their wishes onto others.
Lots of People do a whole lot of this …. we are in a society of projectors.
People are getting emotional with it; and so it’s all about how ‘they feel’ — and no one is considering how anybody else feels about the situation. Almost suggesting that those people’s feelings, are not relevant. Only their feelings matter.
My former pastor had a list of people he did NOT want to attend his funeral;
Maybe nobody reading this feels like that about anyone; but … some people on this earth, feel that way. They decide, while living, who they want at their funeral, who they want kept out, who they want to allow to speak and who they do Not want speaking! For all we know, (because none of us actually know) – Kobe may not have wanted to acknowledge his own parents at his own funeral.
That may have been a ‘thing’ he spoke about to his wife, his friend (Lakers GM) Rob. I have no idea why others who got up to speak ‘also’ didn’t at least say something to them; perhaps they were all told what Kobes wishes were (if these were his wishes) ::: none of us truly know.
We just have to accept what happened; what transpired; it happened the way it was supposed to happen. (whether we all agree with it or not) Perhaps those of us who didn’t like how it went down, should make sure to work on our current relationships while we are here; to avoid possible nonsense when its our time to be celebrated.
They didn’t come to Kobe’s last game; they were not there for his Jersey Retirement; Joe and Pamela Bryant made decisions along the way in life; and for all we know, Kobe made it known that he would prefer people not acknowledge him in death; and I know that for a lot of people, they don’t understand that. They’ve had their parents do a lot of foul sh*t and they still love their folks; Everybody is different…………
Abuse comes in different forms; and let’s just use an EXTREME Example here…………
Let’s say someone was Molested by their Mom/Dad growing up; that person goes on to have a successful life; but dies tragically.
MORE Than likely, They would NOT want to acknowledge their Child Molesting Parents; F*ck all that “honor thy mother/father sh*t” ::: the mother/father didn’t honor the child; they harmed the child; abused the child; and in spite of them Bringing that child into the world, the Child grew up to want no association with those mfs……….. especially not at their “Celebration of Life” services; They most likely got that in the Will already; just as my Pastor had in his.
— Now again; extreme example here ‘but’ – perhaps some of how Kobe was treated ‘felt’ like abuse to him; in his mind. I actually wish this wasn’t a topic so many people are discussing; but it is. Perhaps we need to discuss this, so that people can be less judgmental of celebrities which none of us truly know. These are real people just like all of us, with real emotions too. Superstar or not, Kobe was a human being – mortal, just like all of us.
Previous posts about Kobe Bryant here on SoCoPo
- Kobe’s Comments on Good and Bad Cycles (Brilliant Response)
- Bryant Talks Lebron, Championships, Retirement with Rich Eisen