After a long hiatus, this month’s post has been moved to the front page. It is a somber reminder to all of us of how quickly and unexpectedly death can come.
All of us can relate to Mohammed Ramzan as a rower. We can imagine the joy he must have felt at being on the water in the early morning; the challenges and exhilaration of rowing; the camaraderie of teammates; and the instant realization that something had gone wrong. We all have experienced those feelings.
And then he was gone. None of us has experienced that, although some of us — myself included — have come close. The sudden loss of a rower creates in each of us an umbra of reflection in which we think about ourselves, our friends, and why we row.
In the wake of Mohammed Ramzan’s death it is appropriate for each of us to reflect on the values of life and examine carefully what might have been done to prevent his death. This won’t allow us to alter the past, but it may allow us to alter events in the future.