Who knew that death would have such an effect. I’ve only Nic in passing, via emails and by name. Yet, his recent death took me totally by surprise and had a definite effect on my being. It makes me realize how short life is and how unexpected everything can be. I can’t guess how his parents and family must be be feeling right now, but I certainly am in a state of shock, sadness, confusion, and anger. I can only assume that his friends and family who knew him the best are at varying levels of the same emotions.
Maybe the reason I, and possibly others, feel this way is because Nic and I, like many other people, come to Thailand to help in some way to improve the lives of impoverish, vulnerability and marginalized people in any way that we can. Even though there are risks and dangers, for the most part the benefits definitely outweigh these other factors. And we all know going into it that being in a country and culture that is unfamiliar, new or exciting is all part of the experience. This shouldn’t deter others from doing the same, but it is a bit disheartening to hear that someone coming to help lost their life in the process. My deepest condolences goes out to Ned’s family and friends both here in Thailand and back in Canada .