I'm a big fan of movies based on Marvel comics (betraying my tech peers, I confess I have never actually read any of these comics). Iron Man and Captain America are two of my favorites. Although I am more of a realist, I still love stories where the hero\es triumph\s over evil.
I have personal heroes as well, real life heroes. They can be counted on a single hand. Tony Patrick was one of them. I held no illusions he was perfect. I knew his humanity, his shortcomings, his lessons... Yet he shined for me--through his actions, his words, his creativity, his passion for innovation--a light on the path that, before that time, lay hidden behind the debris of uncertainty, misdirection and doubt. A path that has led me on to a life beyond what I ever dared to dream.
As such, the picture of Tony's casket being lowered in the ground could not have been more devastating to me had it been the equivalent of a real life Captain America or Iron Man being laid to rest. I know--both because of his humanity and despite it--that Tony was a force for good; and I know that the universe lost an ally the day it lost him.
Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me
Remember me for centuries
We've been here forever
And here's the frozen proof
We'll go down in history
Remember me for centuries
--Centuries, by Fall Out Boy
