The death of a courageous Iconoclast
January 15th 2012 20:06
The world will sorely miss Christopher Hitchens now that he's gone.
Although Hitchens could be merciless in his treatment of people who adhered to beliefs he found repugnant, his unsparing attacks stemmed from a relentless desire to make the world a more just, tolerant and reasonable place.
Hitchens, who died of pneumonia, a complication of esophageal cancer; in mid-December at the age of 62, always had a great deal of empathy for victims of oppression that was only matched by an intense loathing of hypocrisy, moral cowardice and beliefs he considered illogical.
No sacred cows escaped the wrath of Hitchen's pen. Not Ronald Reagan. Not Bill Clinton. Not the Pope. Not Henry Kissinger. Not Michael Moore. Not Mother Teresa. Not even God.
Hitchens, however, was not without his faults. At times his style of argument could be combative and downright insensitive. But Hitchens brashness shouldn't obscure the traits that made him such an important writer in our time.
Hitchen's greatest asset also happened to be the reason some people disliked him: he was willing to defend what he felt was right and criticize what he though was wrong no matter how unpopular his position and no matter how many feelings he hurt in the process. Though his opinions were sometimes overly harsh -- especially regarding religious issues--.every society needs a guy like Hitchens to keep it honest. He had the right mixture of courage and gall to tell people what they needed to hear instead of what they wanted to hear. Hitchens never hesitated to put a mirror in front of his readers to show them what hypocrites they were. I confess to having been indirectly bludgeoned by Hitchen's pen on a couple of occasions.
If there is a heaven, Hitchens probably will never enter it's gates because of his hostility to all forms of religion. Some probably believe this hostility landed Hitchens in hell with many of the men he spent his life criticizing. If this is the case, the punishment certainly doesn't fit the crime. Despite his faults, Hitchens was an honorable man who deserves an afterlife appropriate to someone of his character. I can only hope that Hitchen's spirit lives on somewhere beyond human comprehension where he can chat with George Orwell and share a bottle of Scotch with H.L. Mencken and Mark Twain.
Although Hitchens could be merciless in his treatment of people who adhered to beliefs he found repugnant, his unsparing attacks stemmed from a relentless desire to make the world a more just, tolerant and reasonable place.
Hitchens, who died of pneumonia, a complication of esophageal cancer; in mid-December at the age of 62, always had a great deal of empathy for victims of oppression that was only matched by an intense loathing of hypocrisy, moral cowardice and beliefs he considered illogical.
No sacred cows escaped the wrath of Hitchen's pen. Not Ronald Reagan. Not Bill Clinton. Not the Pope. Not Henry Kissinger. Not Michael Moore. Not Mother Teresa. Not even God.
Hitchens, however, was not without his faults. At times his style of argument could be combative and downright insensitive. But Hitchens brashness shouldn't obscure the traits that made him such an important writer in our time.
Hitchen's greatest asset also happened to be the reason some people disliked him: he was willing to defend what he felt was right and criticize what he though was wrong no matter how unpopular his position and no matter how many feelings he hurt in the process. Though his opinions were sometimes overly harsh -- especially regarding religious issues--.every society needs a guy like Hitchens to keep it honest. He had the right mixture of courage and gall to tell people what they needed to hear instead of what they wanted to hear. Hitchens never hesitated to put a mirror in front of his readers to show them what hypocrites they were. I confess to having been indirectly bludgeoned by Hitchen's pen on a couple of occasions.
If there is a heaven, Hitchens probably will never enter it's gates because of his hostility to all forms of religion. Some probably believe this hostility landed Hitchens in hell with many of the men he spent his life criticizing. If this is the case, the punishment certainly doesn't fit the crime. Despite his faults, Hitchens was an honorable man who deserves an afterlife appropriate to someone of his character. I can only hope that Hitchen's spirit lives on somewhere beyond human comprehension where he can chat with George Orwell and share a bottle of Scotch with H.L. Mencken and Mark Twain.
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