Let Us Hope That The World Never Forgets The Might of Christopher Hitchens

I was awoken this morning by the news, that I had been bracing myself for the past several months, of the death of Christopher Hitchens. He was my hero, and a great man. Great not because he stuck to his beliefs and opinions even though they might offend some, but because of how he arrived at those views. Any tinpot polemicist can hold their views no matter what (and what a poor polemicist they would be if they could be convinced to change their mind), but Hitchens was a true intellectual in the most original sense of the term. His was a talent that will be sorely missed in this world. He was brave and courageous, insightful and thorough, passionate and above all a fantastic writer. It is that last strength of his that makes me hesitate to finish the rest of my points in prose. So instead I will list them below.

-Hitchens force of intellect jarred me out of a complacent mild de facto atheism into 'coming out of the closet' as it were, as an out and proud atheist.

-He made some of the best and most forceful arguments in favor of the power and responsibility of a free press and the power of free speech in a society that wishes to call itself free:

-I will, so long as I am on this earth, regret that I never had the honor of meeting this great man in person. I am consoled by the fact that it will take me years to read through all the work that he has bestowed to the rest of us.

-He recognized the power and smoothness of Johnnie Walker Black Label. A lesser man like Churchill limped by with Red.

-If one were to boil down what animated Hitchens throughout his whole career, it would be a resistance to and fight against totalitarianism and arbitrary authority. Be it the British monarchy, religion, god, Mother Theresa or dictatorial despots, he hated nothing more than unelected and unaccountable power. On that last point, how fitting it is that he died the week that Americans withdrew from Iraq. Given his love of literature, I am take comfort in the belief that the correlation did not escape him.

The sad truth of such powerful writers is that, through they wield influence and attention in their prime, they often quickly fade from the scene. I beg of you, please do not forget this man. Do not forget this lessons, his opinions, and his writings. And through you may not like where his thinking led, please do not forget how he got to those opinions.

Hitchens provides a lesson to us all - think for yourself, and let no man shake you of what you believe to be right.