A DUer left us today [View all]

[MannyGoldstein]

Last edited Fri May 22, 2015, 10:30 PM - Edit history (1)

I cannot say that JeffR and I always agreed with each other. In fact, I sadly recall that most of our exchanges were disagreements of one sort or another.

But here's the other thing I remember: there was agreement, too. JeffR did not post much in the past few years, and I don't recall any OPs of his on the current iteration of DU. But once in a while, he'd say something nice and from his heart about one of my OPs, and it would touch me deeply and distinctly: here was an unusual person who could dislike a person's thoughts, but not dislike the person behind it.

We on DU sometimes go at it pretty good, much emotion and some tough words. I think that this back-and-forth is sometimes appropriate, stemming from the incredible damage done to so many in our country in the past few decades, and our awful panic at what will happen if things are not righted quickly. And, sometimes, we're all simply idiots, full of sound and fury signifying nothing. But through the salvos, Jeff was able to tease apart the person from the idea, to keep an open heart and an open head. To separate the sinner from the sin.

As I meditate tonight on Jeff's departure, and of the grief of his wife, Nance, I am resolved to learn from him, to work harder to love all my fellow Earthlings even if I disagree with their words and actions. We are all dropped into this world with different wiring, we live through different experiences, and thus we come to different conclusions. That is just the human condition. But we'll only muddle through together if we find the strength within to always listen, and to love each other unconditionally.

Peace to Jeff, to Nance, and to all.