Goodbye my friend

Its been a while since my last post. I have not really felt inspired to write about anything. Life has been busy with endless hours of uneventful filler, and my creative juices have been bottled by a need for rest and reflection after my 50th birthday has passed.

Today, when opening my ipad for the morning news, I was impacted by the announcement of Author Christopher Hitchen's death.

Christopher had been suffering from cancer for some time now and the end was inevitable - however this was still received with shock and surreal confusion.

I have often stated that I have no heroes, worship nobody, but if I were to be forced to compile a list of heroic contenders, Mr. Hitchens would be challenging for the top position.

How do you explain to someone that the passing of a man I have never met, strikes me as hard as the loss of a close friend?

I have repeatedly scoured his books and articles for comfort, smiles and support for my own position and ideology. I have watched him interviewed and experienced his extraordinary orating skills in the Munk debates with Tony Blair. I have marvelled at his humanity, generosity, love, morality and ethics for us humans and our world while never needing a belief system as a crutch. And most delightfully, I have watched Hitch fight against hypocritical and destructive religious dogmas at every opportunity, even as his body broke down from the cancer and his god loving enemies prayed for his demise.

Once in a while a person comes along that has such purpose, such intellect and such impact, that the mere consideration of them as replaceable is laughable and the world as a whole diminishes in their passing.

I never met you Hitch, but you were indeed my friend.

As your cancer consumed you, you asked for no pity and jokingly accepted your fate as being the same as everyone else, just a little accelerated.

Despite our collective disbelief in the afterlife, I cant help grin at the thought of you standing at the pearly gates as I write this, in a deep and colourful argument with St Peter, debating God's very existence.

If they let you in Christopher, go easy on the big guy!!

Thank you for being my friend.

Martin