Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.
Jack Layton, 1950-2011
Image via Wikipedia
Normally I would have a good number of quotes to fill a Tuesday entry. However, I felt it most fitting to simply use this one quote by former NDP Leader and Leader of the Opposition, Jack Layton. Layton passed away early Monday morning after he was about to begin a second battle with cancer. He had already battled prostate cancer and had beaten it, but at a press conference a few weeks ago, he announced he would step down and hand the reigns of leadership to Nycole Turmell for the interim. He was expecting to be back when Parliament resumed in September.
Layton wrote a letter on August 20, 2011, his last letter to Canadians. It was filled with hope and love, and the last paragraph, quoted above, speaks volumes on the character of the man. Personally, I followed Layton on twitter, and found that he had a great joy for life, sharing his own personal life with so many.
Layton was a man who believed in this country. He will be a difficult man to replace, but we can only hope that someone with his vision of Canada can step up and fill in as admirably as Layton did.
Rest in peace, Mr. Layton. You will be missed.
Related articles
- Canadian HIV and LGBT Advocate Jack Layton Died Today (queerty.com)
- RIP, Jack Layton (boingboing.net)
- The Commons: On the passing of a politician (macleans.ca)
- Jack Layton, a passionate man (mylifeontheelist.wordpress.com)
Turn the Page 