My friend died last night. :(

[fatalbert]

your friend did a brave thing.

sorry he didn't make it

 

[PlatinumGold]

Elledan

it hasn't yet occurred to me to ask if it was a worthy sacrifice or not.

details are sketchy as this happened some 4000 miles away from here and it happened last night.

 

[geno]

<< FYI, I'm not trolling, I'm merely asking for details. >>


Well you're asking in the wrong way.



<< I'm sorry if your puny brain can not comprehend this simple fact. >>


Ohhhh ok, so *we're* the dumb ones

Maybe you should look at how you're approaching this situation before making bold comments such as that.

And PlatinumGold, though the loss is great, remember that your friend saved 6 other lives - that's a wonderful thing right there, you should be proud of him! I feel for your loss, however, and I offer you my condolences...

 

[sirsleepsalot]

Sorry for you loss, but he went out in a most honorable way. You have my prayers. As Czar said, he is a hero. And if it's to save a life, or in this case, multiple lives, no sacrifice is unworthy imho. Your friend was indeed a great man, such a pitty he had to leave this earth at such a young age.

Best of luck to you and everyone else who knew him in this time of grief.

 

[SyahM]

sorry to hear that, he was very heroic .. saving others life and sacrificing his own, i'm touched.

 

[Elledan]

<< Elledan

it hasn't yet occurred to me to ask if it was a worthy sacrifice or not.

details are sketchy as this happened some 4000 miles away from here and it happened last night. >>

I see.

I'm sorry if my question appeared to be rude. I can assure you that it was not my intention. Again, my apologies.

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

The greatness of this act may never be (and probably won't be) fully realized.

It is certainly true that he is a hero, in a time that there are very few men who can measure up to that label.

I hope I, one day, have an opportunity to do something as great as that-- and I hope those 6 children do some truly incredible things with their lives.

 

[Isla]

My thought is that as your friend was using his strength to get the children he was in charge of to safety, he must have considered it a worthy sacrifice.

Otherwise, we would be hearing about how some guy saved his own life while he watched children he was responsible for drown.

Most people would not be able to live with themselves if they chosen otherwise... so he could have saved himself but he would have been haunted by it for the rest of his life. I mean, think about it... for a person of conscience, there really was no choice but to do what he did.

Anyway, what happened, happened... and he made the most honorable, loving choice he could make give his options. Because of this, at the very least, his spirit will live on in the hearts of those who knew him and were touched by his selflessness and integrity.

 

[zack86]

jeeez......i can't imagine how hard it is fer u........y, just the other day, a guy from the opp bldg committed suicide.....i hardly(didnt, actually) know him......yet i felt bad

but still, ur pal died fer a noble cause, indeed, and thats the way u shud remember him

peace

 

[PlatinumGold]

isla

mb. the way i understand it is, he kept going back to get more of the children. he could have stopped at 4 or 5 etc. but he kept going back. if he had stopped at 5 no one would have questioned him, his courage or his honor. he went back one more time and he himself wasn't able to make it all the way back. the last child made it back safely but wasn't in any condition to help him back.

I'm extremely proud of him and what he did, but there is still a sense of disbelief and pain.

 

[Lucky]

I'm extremely proud of him and what he did, but there is still a sense of disbelief and pain.


What an absolutely wonderful man. Be glad you knew him and celebrate his heroic deeds!

 

[GTaudiophile]

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

 

[Optimus]

I'm so sorry to hear that PlatinumGold!

I can totally believe the danger and how he died though - the riptides in Honduras are deadly.

Elita1 (my wife) is from there, and good friends of her family died in much the same way. The son was pulled out to sea by the riptide, the father swam out to try to save him. Both were lost.... The poor mother was absolutely devastated.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Most people would not be able to live with themselves if they chosen otherwise... so he could have saved himself but he would have been haunted by it for the rest of his life. I mean, think about it... for a person of conscience, there really was no choice but to do what he did.

Anyway, what happened, happened... and he made the most honorable, loving choice he could make give his options. Because of this, at the very least, his spirit will live on in the hearts of those who knew him and were touched by his selflessness and integrity.


isla

don't take what i'm about to say the wrong way, but many people, especially in america view heroism in a capitalistic way. so he could have saved himself but he would have been haunted by it for the rest of his life. in other words, he did it because otherwise he wouldn't be able to live with himself, or because of what other people might think of him etc etc etc.

but forget all that for a second and imagine this guy going back out to sea again and again, do you think for a second there was any of those thoughts running thru his head?

is there any possibility that his motivation is because of what this would do for his IMAGE??

Sometimes (and i believe many times) people do what is right, JUST BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. I believe that is what happened here. He did it because IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. He didn't expect to die, he didn't do it to because of his standing or reputation or because he wouldn't be able to live with his conscience otherwise.

he did it simply because IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

mb this is where we all need to focus our thoughts and lives on doing the RIGHT THING. Most of us know what that is in most situations, do we always do it, no, but we should.

also, he did the right thing here, because, he had always lived his life that way, just doing the RIGHT THING. If he had lived his life in a more calculated manner, mb he wouldn't have been able to do what he did.

anyway, sorry about how long this post is, but it is my firm opinion that he committed this GREAT ACT OF HEROISM, not to be heroic but just simply because it was the RIGHT THING TO DO.

anyway, he and his act will be and inspiration for me.

 

[Elledan]

<< so he could have saved himself but he would have been haunted by it for the rest of his life. >>


And so everything appears to be in some way 'selfish'.

By the way, by the standards of most societies, it was a very noble and honorable deed.

 

[PlatinumGold]

elledan

read my post right above yours.

it was not a "selfish" act.

 

[Croton]

I can only imagine the great things your friend has accomplished before this.

Just being a teacher, he must have affected many lives in his classes. And he made a great sacrifice by saving 6 children.

What a great guy.

 

[Optimus]

I can't believe Elledan is trying to start something HERE, in a thread mourning the loss of your friend.

Please don't get dragged into it Platinum. Remember your friend as the hero he was and is - the rest of us are with you in your loss.

 

[b0mbrman]

From what you say, he sounds like he was an awesome guy. Sorry to lose him

 

[AdamDuritz99]

It's a shame that he died, but this guy is a true hero. I could not think of a better way of dieing than giving more people their lives back.

peace
sean

 

[Hammer]

Sorry for you loss, but your friend met an honorable death. He will live on in the memories those close to him and those he saved.

 

[Elledan]

<< elledan

read my post right above yours.

it was not a "selfish" act. >>

This has been dissected countless times on this forum.

Ultimately everything can be called a selfish act. This is logical because there has to be a motivation for an act, and every motivation involves the person itself.

Anyway, I don't want to ruin this thread, so I'll discontinue this conversation.

 

[Isla]

PlatinumGold

in other words, he did it because otherwise he wouldn't be able to live with himself, or because of what other people might think of him etc etc etc.

In who's other words? Not mine. Those thoughts and words you just expressed have nothing to do with what I was trying to say, but apparently there is a lot coming to the surface for you now with the advent of this tragic event.

Let me put it to you this way: I would have done the same thing if I were him, in the same way, not even thinking about it. If I had not, it would have always bothered me, and it would not have had anything to do with what anyone else thought of me. Some people are naturally other-oriented, and I was assuming that your friend was one of those people. You don't stop and think about yourself when others are in need.

So, I am not sure how we got off on this tangent or what is even being discussed here, only that I was trying to express my sympathy and empathy for his situation.

Sorry if I managed to rub you the wrong way while I was at it.

 

[PlatinumGold]

isla

i understood the purpose of your original post was positive and i took it that way.

but there is also the tendency to think in terms of heroism in someway being and act of selfishness. that was the issue i wanted to deal with. it wasn't an attack on you or anyone for that matter.

it was a general statement by me regarding the way people should live their lives.

 

[Thegonagle]

My condolences.

Your friend is a hero. I'm sure nobody who knew him will ever forget what he did.