Like many others, I awoke Thursday to the shocking news that Andrew Breitbart had passed away at the age of 43. It seems like there have been a slew of famous deaths lately, Davy Jones died just as suddenly the previous day, and of course there was Whitney Houston who died not that long ago. But for reasons I could not fully process, Breitbart's death has been hard to swallow.
I read many tributes to him, as many as I could find...from friends to frenemies to adversaries, I was pleasantly surprised to find kind words all around. His persona did not lend him to sympathy from the left, but it seems he was able to charm and garner respect form even those who disagreed with him. I'm sure those tactless tweets are in abundance, something Andrew was all too familiar with. Famously when Ted Kennedy died, Andrew tweeted "rest in Chappaquiddick", so I'm quite certain that he would relish the idea of foes making similar remarks at his death. In fact, he would probably love for someone to log into Twitter as him and retweet them.
I've been wondering for the last couple of days since this happened...why does this bother me so much? Yes, I went to bighollywood about 50 times a day, but overall, Andrew was not my brand of politico. His fiery, in your face, warrior spirit is antithetical to the measured, calm, and respectful tone I like to take in political discourse. In truth, I tune into Dennis Prager over Mark Levin, and I prefer Sowell to Coulter. Yes, I will definitely miss his tweets (that man kept hours that even I couldn't compete with). Yes, I know the movement I belong to won't find another one like him anytime soon. Yes, He did things that changed the landscape of media for the better, and yes his courage and boldness is rare (esp on the right). Yes, He didn't care if something was unpopular (even amongst conservatives) he went where his conscience took him and there he stood. Yes I admired his courage and commitment to stand with GOPROUD, despite pushback from some conservatives. But still, I didn't know him, I didn't think about him much, I didn't even particularly care to hear him speak. So why is this nagging me so much?
I thought about it, and thought about it, and thought about it..and what i've determined is...it's not that I will miss him, nor that he is irreplaceable, nor any of the political ramifications of his absence...its that he was 43 years old. He died at 43 years old of seemingly natural causes. He wasn't addicted to propofol, or prescription drugs, or an alcohol (that we know of). He wasn't a race-car driver, or skiing down a mountain playing football, or flying a plane with a broken foot in the dark, or a cancer patient, or speeding down a highway drunk...He was just walking in front of his house. He was here, seemingly healthy & alive, being a friend, a Dad, a husband, a warrior....then he was gone. As a teenager, I knew of people dying in their 40s (my dad in fact did), but as a 33 year old, its a much more disconcerting fact of life. Its impossible for me ponder this and not be acutely aware of the sand sliding down the hourglass for everyone I love and myself. This is terrifying and uncomfortable. Its the bitch-slap of Mortality...right in my face.
There's nothing we can do, us mere mortals, to change our fates...but these times can convince us that life is precious, that we can be better procurers of the time we have...that we can make the most of our days, and live life to the fullest. That is until this becomes a memory far enough away from us that we once again forget the fragility of our existence...at which point another wake-up call begins this cycle again. How can we hold onto this realization that we are temporary residents of this place?
Legacy is something we tend to think of developing at a much later age, but the truth is our legacy is written each day we walk the earth. Today I watched Andrew's CPAC speech from a couple weeks ago. He was disheveled, and looked like he had gained a few pounds, but I found no sign of a man days away from a natural death. What I saw was something I would have missed had I watched it when it aired...It was a man certain of his purpose, certain of who he was, and fearlessly living his convictions. This is his public legacy. The Bigs, Drudge, the media powerhouses he brought down, ACORN, his proteges, that his his professional legacy. His wife, his 4 children, his loyal and heartbroken friends...they are his personal legacy.
What is yours?
Carpe Diem,
~ kg
No comments:
Post a Comment