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The Inequities of Loss

Death does not discriminate.

John Polonis
3 min readSep 22, 2019
Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

A good friend recently passed away. He was 41. He’s survived by his wife, child of almost two years, and an extended collection of family and friends. As someone wrote on his obituary page, he was “one of the good guys.” A warm soul who always brought energy, enthusiasm, and empathy to every second of his life, it’s terribly unfair that someone so good was taken away so young. Loss is inequitable. Karma may be a barometer for some, but it’s not the measure for all.

Some assholes survive, plain and simple. Whether they are morally repugnant like the current US President or worse, murderers who live with impunity, there are teems of people who deserve going before others. But that is not how the world works. No matter how much virtue you possess, no matter how altruistic or benevolent you are towards others, your time may suddenly come like a thief in the night. Nobody can explain it. No priest, rabbi, or medical professional.

My friend who died was about as close to perfection as possible. Many say these things immediately after someone’s death, but this guy truly set a perfect example. He was a devout family man who had an incredible work ethic and gave one hundred percent in everything he did. His energy was contagious. He cared for everyone, which was clearly exemplified by him even giving me the time of…

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