Even in Death There is Life: 5 Lessons Learned from Losing a True Leader

March for Life Rally in Washington, D.C. January 22, 2009. Jon is the furthest to the right.

Although this is Freelancer’s Month on GMW I am interrupting the regularly scheduled posts because an event has occurred that has shifted my perspective on life.

On October 18, 2011 my university suffered a great loss as one of our alumni passed away from complications due to injuries from a horrific car accident. He was 22 years old.

I had the pleasure of knowing Jon personally thanks to activism groups we had on campus. We met (officially anyway) in January of 2009 when we went with a huge group of students to march in D.C. for a cause we all felt was too important to remain silent about.

The truth is that Jon probably accomplished more in 22 years than most of us do in a lifetime. He was a Pregnant on Campus Coordinator and Student Support Coordinator for Students for Life – of which he even established a chapter in the local university my brother now attends. He also coordinated peaceful protests including organizing massive groups to march in Washington D.C. with 300,000 other people.

But this post isn’t about Jon’s political or moral views – it’s about the life of a guy who accomplished so much at such a young age. It’s about a guy who fought tooth and nail for what he was truly passionate about. It’s about a guy who worked overtime in the hopes of seeing progress. And above all it’s about a guy who although he accomplished so much did it all for the sole purpose of helping others.

There’s so much that we as young professionals and human beings can learn from this. First, that you never know when we are going to bite the dust. For this reason we need to make the most out of the one life that we’ve got. There’s no need to slave away at jobs or situations that we hate in order to make a buck (after all, you’re not taking any money with you where we’re all eventually going). There’s no reason why we can’t create a movement just like Jon and his colleagues did. And there’s no reason why we can’t fight for what we are passionate about.

Second, we need to keep our loved ones close because we never know when their time will come. We also need to live our lives with arms wide open and let others in. Although I knew Jon personally (as did everyone on campus) we were not the best of friends or anything. I know that I probably missed out on having an awesome person be more present in my own life and I do regret it. We also need to practice charity as often as possible because even small things can brighten up someone else’s day. Jon really had it right. Everything he did he did for others. At the end of the day it’s not all about us and sometimes we really need to remember that.

Third, where there is a will there is a way. I don’t think I ever saw Jon stressed out or in a bad mood – even when things had not gone the way he had planned. In fact, he was resilient. When we were told that there was no way we were getting into the Verizon Center in D.C. for a rally Jon calmly insisted that we try anyway. A few of us made our way to the Center and sure enough we were a part of a handful of people they let in at the last minute. Mind you we didn’t have seats and were sitting in the aisle, but the point is we made it in there.

Fourth, we need to recognize smaller victories and give ourselves a break every once in a while. We may not be overturning legislation, running our own businesses or winning a Noble Peace Prize yet but we are making progress. Jon may not have single handedly gotten the Supreme Court to overrule a decision that was made 38 years ago, but he did help establish activism groups in universities throughout the country in an effort to make voices heard and inform an entire generation. Consequently, we need to give ourselves a pat on the back and recognize our smaller victories instead of thinking about everything we have yet to do and how stressed out we all are.

Lastly, sometimes we just need to let go. Jon was a very spiritual person and I am confident that when the time came he didn’t try to fight it. Instead he just accepted the strange twist of fate and let it be. We need to learn that we can’t control every little detail of our lives. Life will undoubtedly throw curveballs at us and sometimes there’s nothing we can do but accept it.

Jon’s passing, although untimely, will not be in vain. He helped set forth a movement that will affect an entire generation – our generation. He was truly an inspiration to many and I hope he looks over those who will further the fight for what he was most passionate about.

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