The Joes Didn’t Teach Us A Lot About the Mortal Coil and Loss
By Destro Designs — Viper Den Studios
2026 has taken a lot of people, at least in the world’s view. After hearing from a member of the G.I. Joe community I’m close with, it got me thinking about the mortal coil wrapped around all of us and the inevitable loss it brings. I don’t want to bring everybody down with an article full of sadness. I’d rather talk about a way we can enjoy the time we have here to the fullest. That’s one of the reasons I insist on being so positive and encouraging every day. Life is too short to be angry and resentful all the time.
I think — subconsciously and consciously — one of the reasons we all still enjoy the G.I. Joe is because they represent a time in our lives when the mortal coil had not yet wound tight around us. Free of responsibility, free of the worry of bills and the state of the world, free of the ticking clock of Father Time that mocks us all. Life screws everyone sometimes, and definitely some of us more than others. But largely, life is what we make of it. Truly. I’ve met people who’ve suffered incredible loss and still refuse to let it keep them down. If you really want some perspective on this, take a walk through the wing of the hospital that has terminally ill children. Mercifully, our community has each other’s back. And in this time of our lives, we’re all experiencing this on some level.
The passing of Peter Cullen doesn’t just hit our chests because he was an ingrained sound in our minds — the voice of the biggest and bravest of all the Transformers. It hits our chests because it subconsciously rings a bell we’ve all been looking away from: the fact that we’re at the age where we start to lose more than we gain. Friends. Family members. Fucking parents, for most of us. We’ve all hit the age where it is an any-minute thing. Now, life is an any-minute thing for everyone. But when it comes to the natural order of passing, our age and up is in the red. That’s why I feel that when we lose parts of our childhood, it does more than hurt the inner child. It also scares the living fuck out of the rest of our hearts and minds. A savage reminder of the one truly inevitable fact of life. The most undeniable fact. There’s always an end. And so, with that terror, I’ve decided to make sure that whenever that time comes, I have no regrets.
I’ve never heard a single dying person say they wished they had hated on people more. Or that they wished they had spent more time being a dickhead to strangers on the internet. People think I’m crazy for being so busy all the time. The fact of the matter is I’m just trying to live as much life as I can and elevate the happiness of others, because that act is what brings happiness to me. Just live simply. Smile at strangers. Give people stuff for free, because someone out there always has less. Don’t just tell your loved ones you love them — show them.
Elevating others elevates you. Spend time with your family. You won’t regret it. Ever. And finally, when thinking about my staying busy like a crazy person, I’ll leave you a quote from my favorite author and truly lunatic person, Hunter S. Thompson: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride!’”
Love you all.
