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On a more serious note...
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Seth Familian
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Nov 27, 2001 13:24 PST
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Hey again,
A little more than a week ago a good friend and former classmate of
mine, Denny Lewis, was killed in a car accident in Argentina. He and
two of his friends--also former classmates of mine--were driving through
Patagonian Argentina en route to a backpacking trip when their car
flipped over on a gravel road, claiming Denny's life and seriously
injuring one other passenger.
Why am I telling you all of this? Not only because Denny was one of the
most caring, friendly, fun-loving people I had the honor and luck to
befriend while in university, but because he was, like I and many of you
on this list, traveling care-free through South America when tragic
misfortune came his way. And so as both friend and fellow traveler, I
want to use this sobering opportunity to simply reiterate how truly
precious and delicate life is.
When I found out about Denny, I was struck first with disbelief, then
shock, then outright anger, and ultimately a bit of fear. It was
impossible for me to believe that someone so good, so kind and
compassionate and well-meaning could have this happen to him. With
time, I shuddered with shock at the fact that such an innocent thing--a
driving trip down to southern Argentina--could result in such tragedy.
Anger then set in as I gritted my teeth at the thought that someone with
such drive and motivation--his passion for photography and art, his
equally strong dedication to science and desire to become a doctor, his
success not just as a student but as a person--could have his life
robbed from him so instantly, so prematurely. And finally, I became
afraid. I was and still am doing just the same thing, driving on the
same roads, pursuing the same adventures, living that same life. It all
hit home with such force.
With a bit of distance and perspecitve from what happened, I soon
realized that Denny's death, while truly tragic, was ultimately a lesson
to me--to us all. Whether you're reading this while sitting behind your
desk in your home town or amidst other frenzied typists in an a foreign
internet cafe, just take a moment and think about your life, its plusses
and minuses, peaks and troughs, and then embrace it. Celebrate it.
Become Whitmanesque about it. Because whether you like it or not, life
is fleeting, and only you can identify, acknowledge, and realize its
importance.
I hope you're all well, and thanks for hearing me out.
Seth
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