LA SOLIDARIDAD: A “Temporary Farewell” From Adam Garrie

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

A “Temporary Farewell” From Adam Garrie

Written by Adam Garrie on 2018-11-13

Dear readers,

As some of you know, the last months have been a difficult time as I’ve been struck with a terrible internal disease which requires the removal of a bodily organ through a surgical procedure. Since I have known this, I have continued to publish articles at Eurasia Future and video content across multiple platforms including my personal favourite The History Boys with George Galloway and myself.

As Confucius said,

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart”.

It is with this wisdom in mind that I have always gone into every professional and social endeavour with all my heart and I have no plans to stop. Even for the young and healthy, life is too short for a single moment to be wasted on the superfluous, the capricious or the inane. It is through the rejection of pettiness and a commitment to hard work that one can elevate not only one’s own temporal condition, but do so to others at the same time. He who plants a seed rewards himself and others. He who sits idly under a tree is wasting the space where new seeds can be watered. Hard work is the essence of life while laziness is not a source of pleasure but is instead a supreme and supremely unnecessary sacrifice. The lazy person is one who sacrifices his physical and mental potential in order to waste one’s life. Such a mentality is the road to insanity, shame and even social strife.

It is because of this that I must apologise to you, dear readers. Beginning in less than twenty-four hours, a medical team will be hard at work removing the dysfunctional organ in question from my body. This means that for a time I will not be able to fulfil my duties to you and to myself. I ask you not to dissuade me from feeling shame about this fact for the same reason that it would be foolish to dissuade a fish from swimming. To put it another way, the man who refuses to take a day off is going to have to go on a vacation underneath the surgical blade.

In the best of all scenarios, I will be back performing my professional duties in less than a week. Of course inversely, it is also a fact that such operations run the risk of death. Because of that, there is a possibility that this may be the last time you hear from me.

If death is what awaits me, I would invite you to remember that ideas are bigger than objects, concepts are bigger than individuals and that the unity of ideas into action steps is vastly superior to any man. The living must not spend time mourning for the dead beyond that which offers a simple and dignified reflection of what the dead once offered to the living. Thus, instead of seeing death as a harbinger of pain, one must see it as an encouragement for the living to work doubly hard in order to accomplish the goals of the dead that once brought inspiration to others.

In my own life, the wisdom and sincerity of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been a profound source of inspiration. Duterte recently had his own health questioned – sometimes by those who wish him well and sometimes by the human scum who wish him ill. Instead of reacting irrationally, the consummately rational and straightforward Duterte said the following,

“We’re getting old. Me, they said I am dying, of course I will die someday. There’s no problem with that. Death should not worry anybody. It’s inevitable and it can happen any day so what is there to talk about”.

As I said at the time that Duterte offered this wisdom,

“This is a statement that every person in the world should hear. From young children scared of the dark to an old person scared of the darkness of one’s final years, one should not romanticise death, fear it, nor artificially hasten its arrival. One ought to live a life of personal moderation guided by ethical pragmatism rather than the polar extremes of greed and narcissism or on the other hand the extremes of self-harm and overwrought nihilism.

Duterte’s ability to touch on personal issues from his position as President makes him unique among world leaders. While a good world leader can live an opulent lifestyle and not offer any personal council to his people, there remains something special and deeply endearing about a leader who goes out of his way to open minds, hearts and eyes to the broader truths of reality that can help to enlighten an entire nation”.

With this in mind I shall follow Duterte’s advice as there is nothing else to talk about. Should the surgery be successful, you shall be hearing from me and shall be seeing me sooner rather than later…hopefully very soon. Should I die however, just remember the following, again from Confucius: