A different side of Ajax
A different side of Ajax
As you know I'm obsessed with tennis. I have a big match today and I'm not even sure I want to play it. I just got word last night my hitting/training partner died unexpectedly. He was only 36 years old. He was a physical therapist. He'd pulled himself out of poverty after being born in what I'd still call one of those "poophole countries" He'd just purchased a home with his wife outside of town last year.. I'm not sure if I'm still in shock or denial. Just last week we were grinding out long 3 set practice matches. He used to go into pusher mode when he wanted to wear me down. He was incredibly fast (yes he was black) and had a thing for running forehands and even retrieving lobs with tweeners (hitting a shot in between your legs when you're running down a lob." I really am not worried about him as much as his wife and family. He was a stalwart Christian man who lived his faith probably better than I live mine. I have no doubt he'll accept the gospel if it turns out Mormonism was the way. I just wish I could have been a better example of a good latter day saint for him. I'm not sure what it was. He went to the ER with stomach issues and it was already too late. I've seen a few people react badly to COVID when combined with an appendicitis. No he wasn't an antivaxxer though we both agreed the shutdown was idiotic and yes we hit the courts together, illegally climbing the fences to train, nearly 3 times/week when we weren't allowed to work for 8 weeks in 2020. I'm a believer but I'm still just devastated. He was way too young and seemed to have so much left to do here on earth. I guess he was just too good for this world and our Lord Jesus needed him in the spirit world.
Last edited by ajax18 on Fri Jun 03, 2022 7:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
And when the Confederates saw Jackson standing fearless like a stonewall, the army of Northern Virginia took courage and drove the federal army off their land.
Re: A different side of Ajax
ajax, I’m sorry to hear this. 36 is far too young to be taken away.
Maybe just being your best human is the thing for the moment. Are there ways that you can help his family through this situation, either by the gift of your time or emotional support?
I just wish I could have been a better example of a good latter day saint for him.
Maybe just being your best human is the thing for the moment. Are there ways that you can help his family through this situation, either by the gift of your time or emotional support?
Re: A different side of Ajax
I am sorry to hear of the unexpected loss suffered by this man's family.
There is no reason to doubt your description of him as a good person. But, while people often try to comfort the bereaved by the suggestion that the person they have lost was 'needed elsewhere', I don't think that there is any evidence (whether factual or scriptural) that the better you are, the more likely you are to die young. If you are going to use the idea of an Abrahamic deity to make sense of human death, I think that Muslims have a somewhat more rational attitude, when they simply say “Inna lillahi w.a inna ilayhi raji’un” meaning “We belong to God, and to Him shall we return”.
[I had to separate the w and the a of the Arabic word for 'and' to avoid the intrusion of the name of the US capital!]
There is no reason to doubt your description of him as a good person. But, while people often try to comfort the bereaved by the suggestion that the person they have lost was 'needed elsewhere', I don't think that there is any evidence (whether factual or scriptural) that the better you are, the more likely you are to die young. If you are going to use the idea of an Abrahamic deity to make sense of human death, I think that Muslims have a somewhat more rational attitude, when they simply say “Inna lillahi w.a inna ilayhi raji’un” meaning “We belong to God, and to Him shall we return”.
[I had to separate the w and the a of the Arabic word for 'and' to avoid the intrusion of the name of the US capital!]
Maksutov:
That's the problem with this supernatural stuff, it doesn't really solve anything. It's a placeholder for ignorance.
Mayan Elephant:
Not only have I denounced the Big Lie, I have denounced the Big lie big lie.
That's the problem with this supernatural stuff, it doesn't really solve anything. It's a placeholder for ignorance.
Mayan Elephant:
Not only have I denounced the Big Lie, I have denounced the Big lie big lie.
Re: A different side of Ajax
He and his wife were both patients of mine. Sadly he didn't have kids yet. We'll undoubtedly plan something at tonight's match. I don't how anyone is going to be able to focus. We might be in for some ugly tennis.Maybe just being your best human is the thing for the moment. Are there ways that you can help his family through this situation, either by the gift of your time or emotional support?
And when the Confederates saw Jackson standing fearless like a stonewall, the army of Northern Virginia took courage and drove the federal army off their land.
Re: A different side of Ajax
No, I'm relying on near death experiences in my struggle to find answers as to why a young healthy doctor of physical therapy and devout Christian with so much left to give would be taken from us. But I'd agree that from my earthly experience, it just looks like chance.I don't think that there is any evidence (whether factual or scriptural) that the better you are, the more likely you are to die young.
And when the Confederates saw Jackson standing fearless like a stonewall, the army of Northern Virginia took courage and drove the federal army off their land.
Re: A different side of Ajax
I'm sorry to hear of that untimely passing.
I'm happy to hear that you plan to go ahead with the game. Some people might find it callous but from the sounds of it, it should be a great way to remember him by. I've posted about it before but finding some loss rituals to help through the grieving process is pretty critical for our brains (regardless of your beliefs on an afterlife). What those look like can be very different from person to person and from loss to loss but as long as you're mindful of the experience, that is what counts.
As canpakes said, I also hope you'll be able to find some way to support his wife and their family. Good luck.
I'm happy to hear that you plan to go ahead with the game. Some people might find it callous but from the sounds of it, it should be a great way to remember him by. I've posted about it before but finding some loss rituals to help through the grieving process is pretty critical for our brains (regardless of your beliefs on an afterlife). What those look like can be very different from person to person and from loss to loss but as long as you're mindful of the experience, that is what counts.
As canpakes said, I also hope you'll be able to find some way to support his wife and their family. Good luck.
He/Him
“If you consider what are called the virtues in mankind, you will find their growth is assisted by education and cultivation.”
― Xenophon
“If you consider what are called the virtues in mankind, you will find their growth is assisted by education and cultivation.”
― Xenophon
Re: A different side of Ajax
I sorry for your loss, Ajax. There are too many untimely deaths these days, it seems, and COVID is definitely one possibility.
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”~Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
Re: A different side of Ajax
Best wishes in your time of grief, Ajax.
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Re: A different side of Ajax
I'm not really seeing a different side of Ajax.
I see a fellow fully grieving for a friend, second-guessing his own beliefs, and wishing he were a better man. These are the petticoats that peak from under the elaborate Wagnerian breastplate that Ajax dons for nearly every post he makes.
My sympathy, prayers, and thoughts for your friend and his family, Ajax.
I see a fellow fully grieving for a friend, second-guessing his own beliefs, and wishing he were a better man. These are the petticoats that peak from under the elaborate Wagnerian breastplate that Ajax dons for nearly every post he makes.
My sympathy, prayers, and thoughts for your friend and his family, Ajax.
Re: A different side of Ajax
Sorry to hear the news. It's tough to lose someone close. It took me a few years to get over the death of my best friend in high school and college. I wish you and your playing partners the best as you grieve.
Myth is misused by the powerful to subjugate the masses all too often.