Learning about Charlie

I had never seen one of Anthony Bourdain’s shows before his death. When I realized what an impact he had on the population, I figured I should watch a few episodes. I soon saw his appeal. He was a guy I could’ve seen myself having a beer or two with, had we been bellied up to the same bar in some obscure part of the planet. We wouldn’t agree on everything, but we could talk about anything. We wouldn’t have taken ourselves too seriously, and we may have even busted each other’s balls a bit, had we garnered any mutual respect.

It was a similar occurrence for me when Charlie Kirk was killed, albeit I pretended to be a little more aware of who he was. We were at football practice when one of our coaches checked his phone and found out. He was clearly affected by the situation, and I was not. I even made some comment about Charlie being a guy who went on college campuses to make students feel dumb. I was only being half-serious, but I realized in that moment that I probably only knew enough about Charlie to say something stupid in the immediate aftermath of his death. And that’s not cool.

So, I again decided to find out a little more about the deceased. While I don’t think Charlie was a guy I’d share a beer with, he was a guy that I agreed with on many topics. It’s probably the political stuff that kept me from knowing more about him. Not because our politics don’t align, but because I’m too burnt out on all of it. As I saw how he interacted with people and lived his life, I began to understand why his death was so impactful.

I don’t care as much these days if I agree with people on a myriad of topics. But I deeply care about a person’s sincerity, passion, and integrity. Charlie looks to me as a man who wanted to help young adults, not degrade them. He looks like a guy that would reach across the aisle, try to find common ground, and was willing to disagree without being an asshole about it.

It's no wonder that when people like that are taken out, their message gets louder. It remains to be seen what impact Charlie’s passion will continue to have on the population, but I bet it grows stronger. I bet Charlie gets louder. I bet more people (like me) that only knew a little about him will learn more and will see the net-positive he was to society.

While I mourn for his family and our country, I’m thankful that his message will continue on stronger and deeper than before. Charlie planted seeds. And Charlie will, indeed, reap what he sowed.