“quem di diligunt, adulescens moritur”

J'interromps exceptionnellement aujourd'hui la série Un Livre Utile
pour publier une lettre collective que des ami(e)s, m'ont faite parvenir hier.
Sascha Peters m'en avait fait lire un bouillon, la veille de ses 20 ans, lors de mon voyage en Europe. C'est le jeune homme en blanc; il est allemand.

Il y a six mois que Laurent est disparu cette semaine.

Laurent,

It is now exactly three months and a week since we met for the first time. It was the first day of our committee, the Disarmament and International Security Committee of WorldMUN 2006. It was the first day of the conference; most of us had just arrived and were still adjusting to China, the climate and the time-change. During the first and quite pointless hours of debate on the agenda, we contacted each other very quickly in order to establish a common European position on the topics. In the recess, we went for a working lunch, but instead of discussing the NPT, terrorists or border controls, we would start chatting about each other’s lives, about where we came from and about all else but disarmament. We found that we could laugh easily with each other and learned quickly that despite coming from such different places, we had much in common. From this moment on, a wonderful week full of warmth, friendship, and laughs began, during which we made connections we vowed to maintain for the rest of our lives.


The group of five; you, Emily, Neta (Vanessa), Pronita, and Sascha had never met before but had such an intense and exciting week together that becoming close friends became inevitable. We were able to find a perfect combination of work and socializing; working together productively and effectively while having a great time – we have rarely laughed more within the span of a week. You summed the week up on Friday after leaving committee when you looked directly into Emily’s video camera and stated that you had just lived through one of the best weeks of your life, echoing the sentiment in all our hearts.

The most intense days we had were probably Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, the second day of the conference and our friendship, we had a hard day in the committee, trying to get our working paper presented and defended, as well as accumulating support for a prospective resolution. The funniest moments of that day were probably our eating intervals. First, lunch in the cafeteria where Neta attempted to eat with chopsticks for the first time and brought much laughter to the table. The coffee afterwards with your look-alike Mr. Bloated Whitefish who we joked would probably be someone’s dinner that night…and of course, our memorable dinner at this shabby Chinese restaurant across the street from the hotel where Simon (the Australian) ordered us the traditional hot pot meant for communal eating, while we laughed at Pronita’s reaction to her first beer. After that, together with Adriana and Diogo, we alternately worked on our resolution, went to the after party of the Cabaret, and continued working until 4 a.m. Despite this long and exhausting drafting session, we never lost sight of the fun involved and had an amazing time together. You were the master of negotiation, always trying to keep the spirit up, keeping your head clear even in the moments of crisis and always tried to integrate everyone’s input and ideas so that no one felt excluded. Simply put, you were a true diplomat who genuinely cared about everyone’s emotions.

On Friday, after an early morning resolution crisis, we finally got our original resolution passed in the committee and then took the time to enjoy our last day together. After the last lunch at Peking University with loads of dumplings and spilled soy sauce, we reunited in the evening, first for a private farewell celebration then for the WorldMUN farewell party. Again a great time, although already sad, because it would be the last evening we would spend together on this trip. You stated that night, as we all began to cry over our final get together in China, that none of us should cry over our parting for you would cry enough tears for all of us. Yet, as we promised future meetings and frequent contact with one another with tears on our cheeks, we could not have imagined it would be the last time the five of us would be together or that the promised tears would be cried over your final departure from this Earth.

We parted – all at different times on the weekend – with the clear intention of reuniting very soon. Over the week, we had very quickly become a closely-knit group, trusting and caring for each other at a very high level. Of course, there would be the geographic distance between us, but that was something that we knew could be easily overcome. We had even decided to attend each other’s weddings, but knew a meeting would definitely be scheduled before that. Hearing about your death was devastating for us all. Most of us were still in China, but Emily had already returned home and needed to be phoned to hear of your tragic accident. Pronita, the only one of us who was still in Beijing, was blaming herself for not having come to hospital with you on Sunday night. This incident made everything turn: the once dazzling country seemed dull and lifeless, the past week empty as if it never happened, everything seemed pointless. Why? Why you? You were so young, so innocent, and so full of energy and ambitions; so full of ideals and hope, packed with visions to change the world. You were so caring, so amazing, so gentle and diplomatic, so honest and charming. You were an integral part of our group, a true friend. You gave us so much hope and realization in the goodness of people. Your warmth and love made all our worries disappear. We were just so incredibly happy to be around you. It is hard to realize that you are no longer here with us in the physical sense. We want to emphasize the physical part because Laurent, we know our friendship eternal and that we will all reunite once again. But the light of the world has grown dimmer with your passing, for you were such a beacon that it is utterly unfortunate that the world will now never have the chance to fully experience your potential. We still do not realize completely with so many unanswered questions, but at the same time, you will be with us any and every time we reunite, the first of which will give us the opportunity to grieve your passing together, for you are in our memories and in our hearts where you will remain until we all reunite beyond this Earth. We will always be a group of five, because where the four of us are, individually or as a group, you are there as well with a gentle hand on our shoulder guiding us as you did throughout our week in China together.

As unbelievable and unacceptable as your death is for us, it can only be a tiny fraction of the pain it has inflicted on your parents, your sister, your nephew (who you spoke about often with a smile on your face and joy in your eyes) and all others that love you, especially Yumiko – rarely had any of us seen someone of our age so deeply and truly in love with another in the way you were with her. We send our most heart-felt condolences to all of your loved ones and tell them that as we move forward in life we will carry your spirit of hope and love with us at all times. You have made us all realize who we are, Laurent. Your arrival and departure from our lives has left such a lasting impression on each of us that we can’t help but evolve and metamorphose into better people.

What remains from our week together are the good memories, those which conjure up a smile every time they dash through our minds. Such memories, as well as the recollection of your smiles, laughter, and hugs run through our minds at moments when it seems we need them most and help us persevere through difficult times. Your presence has been felt and appreciated at each occasion you have supported us. Hopefully, one day, these memories - like stars, shining down on us at night and twinkling at us when we look at them – will outweigh the pain of your death and only remind us of an amazing week spent together laughing until we cried and crying until we laughed.



We have resigned ourselves to understand this quote: “quem di diligunt, adulescens moritur” – who is beloved by the gods, dies young (Plautus, after Menander). You were, are, and will remain loved, remembered, and admired by so many. Rest in peace, our friend, and know forever more that you will remain in our hearts forever. We miss you and we love you more than words can ever express.

Emily Weideman (Pennsylvania/U.S.A.), Sascha Peters (Duesseldorf/Germany), Vanessa Tarbes (Caracas/Venezuela), Pronita Saxena (California/U.S.A.), 3/7/2006