Yesterday, Ghana laid to rest former president, Dr.Atta Mills
who they fondly referred to as Father of the nation. Many miles away, in Iraq,
in keeping with Islamic custom, a young man named Haidar was laid to rest
too.
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| The ever smiling Dr. Mills |
Dr. Mills, I never met; but heard from various sources that he
was an honourable man, that I would have liked him if I met him. In any case,
the state of the country he had led for four years was testament to his able
leadership.
 |
| Haidar Issa |
Haidar, on the other hand, I met and interacted with albeit
briefly. He was one of the participants in the just concluded GIMPA summer
school on governance of oi, gas and mining resources. He was cheerful, soft
spoken, smoking hot, gentlemanly, passionate about the state of his homeland
and the future of his people and humourous- in fact, on the last day of
training, he took pictures of the participants and added funny captions to them
leaving us all rolling in laughter.
This morning, I am reminded. quite starkly, that I am mortal.
There is a day, I don't know which (and perhaps, this is the most frustrating
fact), when I will be no more. Does this scare me? Well, a little
sometimes.
Mostly, the fact challenges me...to be more generous, to be more
considerate to those around me, to be more tolerant, to be kinder to myself, to
make the kind of decisions that will guarantee that I leave a legacy and thus
be remembered fondly, by some, when I am gone.
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| In our hearts, flags fly half mast in both your memories |
Rest in Peace, guys. The world, I assure you, is that much
less brighter without you here :(
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