Distant Memories
On May 10th 2002, the 12.45 London King's Cross to King's Lynn service crashed at Potters Bar, killing seven passengers and injuring many more.
When news of the accident first reached us further down the line in Cambridge, where I study, the atmosphere was subdued; here, a reliable service that many of us use on a weekly basis, lay crippled, a twisted mass of metal and bone. It could so easily have affected any one of us. It was on May 11th that the truth of this mere sentiment came to bear, impressed into the harshness of what is, sadly, our reality.
Among the seven dead was Jonael Schickler, philosopher and friend. There are few who can bring such life and passion to theological discussions as he did, and his musings, reasoning and tolerance have been missed among conversations, at a time when such virtues seem largely waylaid by common misconceptions, ignorant prejudices and misplaced anger. Perhaps not at the forefront of my consciousness, day to day, but in some small way, always.
In memoriam
Jonael Schickler
1976-2002
And of all those people whose lives were lost or affected by this sad event.
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This is a very lovely tribute. True, Jonael was an extremely special person - better than his time, beyond his contemporaries. Yet for all this it was his tolerance and modesty which made him so eminently lovable. I think it must have been, for all who knew him, a privilege to have known him. I certainly consider it such. Keeping Jonael in our consciousness, makes us, surely, better people.
a lovely tribute indeed. my old flatmate, a very good friend, worked in the building overlooking the potter's bar crash. she was amongst the first people on the scene, helping to pull people out of the wreckage before the emergency services arrived. needless to say, it was a traumatic experience for her and all those involved. i'm sorry you lost a friend.
Jonael. Saying his name fills me with hope. As my supervisor, Jonael touched my intellectual life deeply and his influence is unrelenting. He was a deeply spiritual man, a very great man with a brave intelligence. I wish I could write less clumsily. I wish I could in some way describe him for you. But I can never talk of him without losing sight of what is to be said – and I lack the eloquence and elegance of speech and thought requisite for that! Mindful of him I am robbed of my powers of discrimination, for he was so thoroughly good that what is and what is not relevant to his nature becomes an impossible distinction. This all sounds perhaps too much the encomium to be serious, too effusive to be approved. I understand. Jonael was special. My first, second and fifth supervisor; my discussion group leader; a philosophical compatriot – a friend. I miss you Jonael. You will never know how important you have been to me. How important you are.
And that missing goes on... and on. These things are supposed to lose their sting over time. New things are supposed to fill in the gaping hole that old have left. But that never happens, because what could replace Jonael? Never again will I come to know someone, something like him. He was indeed so 'thoroughly good'... does anyone else wonder whether they found Christ in Jonael, whether that supreme goodness was in fact God in man, the archetypal incarnation?
Jonael was a friend whom I had known all my life, our families both have houses in Greece and are very close. I feel extremely lucky to have known him and can't really articulate how special he really was, his goodness and thoughtfulness were a rarity. I am sure that he would have gone on to do great things on top of what he had already achieved, I am only sorry that we will not get to witness them. Remembering him gives me hope. The way that he lead his life and his purity are an example to us all.
My thoughts are always with his family.
Remembering him gives hope, yes, but also despair, that most of us will never be as good or pure as him, however hard we try. And it is us who are left and he that is gone
Happy Birthday Jonael. Rest in peace.