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| Christopher Hitchens 1949-2011 |
The 21st century is sorely lacking bold thinkers, loud polemicists and skilled communicators like Mr. Hitchens. His prose was beautiful artistry in written word. I will miss his mordant wit and always interesting take on anything and everything. He was an Orwell for our time, giving hell to "Bastards HQ" daily. Liberty lovers everywhere should follow his example. The bell has tolled, and his death indeed diminishes us all...
Suffering and Dying in Luxury
One of the many paradoxes of modern life: Medical care has advanced to the point where everyone, regardless of station, can now outlive their money.
In one of his last essays, Christopher Hitchens, himself enduring a long and very public death watch, reflected wryly upon the demise of atheist philosopher Sidney Hook:
Toward the end of his long life he became seriously ill and began to reflect on the paradox that—based as he was in the medical mecca of Stanford, California—he was able to avail himself of a historically unprecedented level of care, while at the same time being exposed to a degree of suffering that previous generations might not have been able to afford.Hitchens concludes:
So we are left with something quite unusual in the annals of unsentimental approaches to extinction: not the wish to die with dignity but the desire to have died.He describes not his fear of dying, but his fear of losing that which makes his life worthwhile:
I am typing this having just had an injection to try to reduce the pain in my arms, hands, and fingers. The chief side effect of this pain is numbness in the extremities, filling me with the not irrational fear that I shall lose the ability to write. Without that ability, I feel sure in advance, my “will to live” would be hugely attenuated. I often grandly say that writing is not just my living and my livelihood but my very life, and it’s true.Tyranny Lives Forever
Today, we receive word that Eastern Europe's champion of freedom Vaclav Havel has died. With each light of liberty snuffed, the world grows a little darker.
Young or old, we all must become dissidents and contrarians if we want to save our nation. Final words from Christopher Hitchens...
Beware the irrational, however seductive. Shun the ‘transcendent’ and all who invite you to subordinate or annihilate yourself. Distrust compassion; prefer dignity for yourself and others. Don’t be afraid to be thought arrogant or selfish. Picture all experts as if they were mammals. Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. Seek out argument and disputation for their own sake; the grave will supply plenty of time for silence. Suspect your own motives, and all excuses. Do not live for others any more than you would expect others to live for you. (Christopher Hitchens -- Letters to a Young Contrarian, p. 140)Further Reading:
Christopher Hitchens: Most Memorable Bon Mots
Vanity Fair – Christopher Hitchens Tribute
Slate – Christopher Hitchens
Matt Labash – A Hitchless World
American Spectator – Hitch-62
Christopher Hitchens: A Thank-You, of Sorts
Johah Goldberg Remembers Christopher Hitchens
