An Open Letter to Christopher Hitchens
May 19, 2011
Read this. Read it In its entirety, and then return here. There are no words I could write that could better express this situation and it would be foolish to try.
Now onto the matter at hand:
Hitchens gave me my voice. Though Harris may have dragged me from Pascal’s flimsy wager and Dawkins may have prepared me to push back against those who would claim science’s support, it was Christopher Hitchens who gave me the courage to talk. Though Daniel Dennett and Penn Gillette may offer varying opinions on matters of religious sanctimony, it was Hitchens who showed me how the faithless could speak with the same dignified conviction usually reserved for the faithful. By example, Hitchens taught me how to carry myself in the face of an onslaught. He taught me how to change hearts and minds by being the person—occasionally abrasive, but always considerate and therefore charming—that I was born to be.
For me, Hitchens is more than an atheist. He is more than a writer and a debater: he is the man that I wish I had known when I was twelve years old, when I fell into religion for want of an alternative. The allure of basketball down at the Mormon Church or chaste, hand-holding dances would have held no sway had there been a man of his caliber to guide me. Had I been offered a dissenting opinion, one with courage, with questions, and with introspection, I would never have experienced my own intellectual dark age. Had there been books with purposes and poets with deeper messages; had there been unbiased conversation and a solid review of history, I never would have seen the inside of those dingy halls. Had there been one man certain enough of himself to offer his side of the story, I may have learned about the world. I may have had truth.
The fact that it wasn’t to be—that I had no one willing to question my ill-gotten faith—is of little consequence now. But I do wonder. I wonder what it could have been like to have had that even keel through adolescence, to have been offered the chance to learn who I was (and who I could be), at that young age. How many times I could have stood up for myself and others. How many chances I missed to really learn about the world, about myself, and about the society in which I live. How much more I could know now. Where my ambitions could have led me, had I seen the purpose of the Ivy League and the worth of true academia instead of waiting for chance and God to guide me.
Though his is fast fading, Hitchens has given his voice to me and many others. We are unafraid to broach the bigger topics in life because of his example. We are happy to talk to others about our lack of faith which, it must be said, is not a lack. It is a great gift that we have been given, this view from the shoulders of giants, and I cherish it every day of my life.
Though he may never read this, I will still send it. Though he may never respond, I don’t need for him to. He has already given so much and I will see to it that his gifts continue to bear fruit in the future. I will make sure that no one ever lacks that which he so eloquently has given us and that, even in his absence, we continue to question the world with the same harsh veracity he always has.
Though it must be of little consolation to one so ill, I offer him the only thing I can: my sincerest gratitude.
Thank you, Christopher Hitchens. I wish you the best.
Cj
I wish I had of had a more open mind for this man when I first heard of him. It took a certain child of mine to raise my head upward and give this great man a hearing.
Thank you my son and thank you Mr. Hitchens for the insight.
I’ll make sure I include your comment when I send the letter.
you should send a copy to him via his publisher. from what I read about him he would appreciate it. although I do not agree with your comments about adolescence & being able to stand up for yourself and others, you probably would have had more problems.
send him a copy
I had the good fortune to see him interviewed at the Philadelphia Free Library at the start of his last book tour. The one he had to cancel due to his illness. It was two chairs on the stage, one for him, one for Marty Moss-Coane, one of the NPR mavens from my area whose voice I want to marry, impregnate, grow old and die with. Hitchens was charming, salty and beyond all else: eloquently spoken.
I’ve taken issue with Hitchens on a few things – his support of the Iraq war, for instance… or the snark and acid he lends to the popular atheism movement (see: market) that’s so big now. I’ve been an atheist since I was 12 – but I want for no group, or body, or collective identity. I don’t want to wear a hat. Atheists, as far as I’ve always seen them, are not good joiners. But Hitchens, Dawkins, Dennett and to a much lesser extent Bill Maher have, by virtue of their fame, have become the unelected spokesmen for that group. And at times, I’ve worried that the marketing and commodification of their individual personae have damaged the standing and reputation of atheists worldwide. I do not respect irrational thinking – and I find outright mockery of what 90% of the world believes with earnest fervor to be irrational. That said… while Dennett and Dawkins and that yapping spaniel Bill Maher have sniped just as much as Hitchens… they haven’t done so with nearly as much style, grace and skill.
He’s made me want to slap his jowls, and shake my fists in his face. But ever if I were given the opportunity to do so, I couldn’t. Because at the end of the day, I respect that man’s pen entirely too much. I respect him as a writer and a thinker… even when I disagree with his writing and his thinking.
We’re going to lose a lot when he gives up the ghost. I’ve already got the bottle ready. I’m just happy that he’s remained so fiercely lucid for this long, always writing.
This essay he’s written… it’s one of the best I’ve read by him. I’ll put it in the pile of his readings I’ll be going through once he finally shuffles off.
Nicely written, CJ. Well done, indeed.
He has said quite a few things that are strident and occasionally shrill, but he’s just so overwhelmingly good at saying them that, even when he does something you don’t agree with, you have to concede the point. There really isn’t much of a popular atheist movement–at least, not a cohesive one– and I don’t think there ever can be. Even so, the more people speak out for their individual beliefs (or the blessed lack thereof), the more society can recognize that it’s a valid alternative to blind faith. Above all, whether petulant or pompous, cheerful or chastising, it’s the fact that someone so well-spoken actually came out and said something that aids me in my daily interactions with the faithful. Thanks for coming–and for the compliment. You’re one of the few intellectuals I personally know who can catch most of Hitchens’ references. If you like it, that’s far from faint praise.
I was hoping you’d post again. I love that you wrote about a hero like this. I feel that our influence in the lives of others is one of the best things we have and at the same time, it’s also one of the scariest.
My hero is an old hippie who makes his own wine and who loves to get bent out of shape and swear about liturgy. He loves people and takes care of many of us in various ways. He teaches listening, rhetoric, etc. I might have to steal your idea and write him a letter. Just sayin’.