Shared at the memorial meeting on Sunday evening.
Hello,
It’s good to see everyone today, I wish it were under better circumstances. This being the first time I have had to deal with the death of a friend, I struggle with how to distill so much about that individual into something so short.
I think what I admired more about Amin was his sense of steadfastness. I know that may seem like an odd quality to mention today, but within the context of how challenging the world can be…he knew himself well enough to withstand the pressures of conformity to define his own path in life. And that is not easy in the growing up as a teenager and beyond in our world.
Abdul-baha talks about steadfastness in the analogy of ship sailing through a stormy sea, and that requires one to be fixated on the final destination or path, otherwise you can lose your way.
I believe that his steadfastness was an essential quality to him pioneering to China…purposely leaving the familiarity and comfort of family and friends, again to define his own path in life.
This is what I admired most about Amin.
There is also a side to Amin that I don’t believe everyone had the pleasure to experience. To many people, Amin had an old-school Persian formality. To those who knew him better, he was a very entertaining friend. You knew if you were a good friend because he liked to tease you a little. The way a brother or sister may like to tease their sibling.
I recall a 15-minute conversation with him, Tana and Dhabih; about who Tana rather pick to be stuck with on a deserted island. What could be an awkward conversation was instead very revealing how quickly I would not survive on a deserted island because I am too skinny and would not make a good alternative food source.
Amin always made me smile, and I look forward to smiling with him again one day…but hopefully not on a deserted island.