Every person on the planet creates a facade he or she wants the world to see as them. And yet may have a very dark side to their soul that they conceal or reveal when in their cups or at home.

Your Ken as you describe him may well have been the second coming. But maybe you saw him through the eyes of love.

One can and often does start out as friends, become the very best of friends and that friendship can and does morph into love.

Ken as you describe him seems to have been a deeply committed Christian walking in the shoes of the master.

May he rest in eternal heavenly bliss, and sorry for your loss.
Alan B.

I would like to make some comments, but I fear I might offend.
Were I brave enough to make them, they would be along these lines...

The first thing is that you cannot talk to a person who has died.
When the mind stops, so does the person.
Afterwards, they cease to exist in any way, shape, or form.
But anything they made or did whilst alive might still exist.

I don't respect those with a religious bent.
They live in a fictional world, and ignore truth and reality.
They are almost always seeking money from others, 'for good causes'.
But we live in a democracy, and must accept all kinds of persons.

I don't think many understand love.
It is an instinct.
Its purpose is to keep people and groups together.
In itself, it is intangible, as are many other programmes running in the brain.

I think those who grieve should be able to find a better way to deal with loss.
I acknowledge we are humans, not machines, and are driven largely be emotion.
I know it takes time for the human mind to adjust to major personal change.
But surely truth is better than platitudes?

And if I have caused offence, I am sorry to have done so.
But opinions need to be expressed, even if they clash with the thoughts of others.

It appears no one wants to say a word.
But perhaps you should?
My sense is that the person who wrote the original post is feeling a trifle lost and alone?
He/she is reaching out to those around, as a way of feeling more connected with society?
So maybe, just maybe, you should help by issuing a few simple friendly words.
Given with proper intent, I am sure they would be well received.
Try to remain truthful!
For even though truth can be stranger than fiction (bob ripley?) it is also something which lasts.

THANK YOU ALAN B.
IBSO FATSO - I WELCOME THAT YOU ACTED ON YOUR DESIRE TO COMMENT.
I FIND IT MORE OFFENSIVE WHEN PEOPLE DON'T SAY WHAT THEY THINK.
YOU SAY - 'I don't think many understand love.
It is an instinct.
Its purpose is to keep people and groups together.'
I AGREE.HOWEVER, WHERE DOES THAT INSTINCT COME FROM IF NOT FROM A PRIMORDIAL 'INSTINCTUAL' COSMO-PERSONAL UNCONDITIONAL LOVER?
YOU SAY - 'It appears no one wants to say a word.
But perhaps you should?'
SO HERE ARE WORDS OTHERS WROTE TO ME IN RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE ARTICLE-
1 From Ken's brother: 'wonderful'
2 A friend:
'Andris, this is truly beautiful and touched me. What a beautiful soul he
is. I really enjoyed hearing you talk about his pick pocketing story in
an under developed country. I can only hope to find a friendship half
as enduring and lovely as yours and Ken’s!
I haven’t had a friendship like that in years!
My partners are as close as I get with a human…
So beautiful! Thank you for sharing and writing as you do. I am inspired by your desire to love our fellow man unconditionally. You definitely taught me that.'
3 'Thank you for opening your heart
on such a hard topic, your friend reminds me of my late grandfather who
is beautifully remembered as an unconditional lover as well.'
4 My pitch for the publication of this article on STARTS AT SIXTY -
'The older we get the more loved ones we lose to death.
Hence the vast majority of SAS' audience would have experienced such losses.
But how we deal with these losses and grief has a tremendous impact on the quality of our lives. (CONTINUED BELOW)

CONTINUED FROM ABOVE)
4 My pitch for the publication of this article on STARTS AT SIXTY -
'The older we get the more loved ones we lose to death.
Hence the vast majority of SAS' audience would have experienced such losses.
But how we deal with these losses and grief has a tremendous impact on the quality of our lives.
In my story, which I entitled:
THE PRICELESS GIFT MY BEST FRIEND BEQUEATHED ME'
I try to show that it is possible to turn an enormous loss into a great gain even
when the person who died may have been one's life-long best friend.
Several years ago, SAS published my two articles about how I then dealt with the death of my best female friend of many years.
https://startsat60.com/opinion/blogs/farewell-but-never-goodbye
https://startsat60.com/opinion/blogs/farewell-but-never-goodbye-the-second-part?ccat=blogs&isc=2
However, my current blog could be of even more relevance to SAS'
audiences, as it is about losing now my best male friend, after a whopping 58 years of a close friendship.’
5 My pitch for Online Opinion publication:
'I hope you will publish this article.
At first glance you might think, if I may say so, that this article does
not fit of what you see as what Online Opinion should publish.
But if you think so, may I appeal to you to consider the following.
To me this is the single most important article I have written from the
point of view of public education to inspire people to love more and
hate less for the sake of a better world.'
And is not a better world a worthwhile objective for the Forum?'
(CONTINUED BELOW)

(CONTINUED FROM ABOVE)
6 A close friend of Ken's :
'Hi Andris
You have written meaningfully and with great love and respect to Ken and
about Ken.
He was obviously a great source of comfort and friendship to you.
A great man.
7 From another friend:
‘Beautifully written-he sounds like a very special man.
Loved the story of when his wallet was pinched overseas-a real lovely soul your friend was.’
8 From one of Ken’s family:
‘Thanks for sharing this.
It was so lovely to read and connect with your memories of Ken.
Yes I agree he was unconditionally loving and he saw everyone through that lens. As admirable as that is there were times when this was to his detriment. It has all offered great learning for me.’
My response to above – “You say, ‘there were times when this (unconditional loving) was to his detriment.’
However, unconditional loving does not mean that one is a pushover who is not standing up against harm. On the contrary, while accepting the person who wishes to harm one, one would direct all the power of one’s love to opposing that person’s harmful approach. For example, a mother’s unconditional love for her murderer son could compel her to hand him over to the legitimate authorities for accountability.
YOU SAY IBSO FATSO - He/she is reaching out to those around, as a way of feeling more connected with society?
So maybe, just maybe, you should help by issuing a few simple friendly words.
WELL, THANK YOU IBSO FATSO FOR YOUR COMPASSION. AS I WROTE IN THE ARTICLE,I FEEL BOTH INSPIRED AND CHALLANGED BY BY LATE FRIEND'S GREAT GIFT.