Recently it was the anniversary of a close friend's suicide. I got a phone call from an old friend in columbus just a few moments ago and we talked of him. We spoke of how his death crystallized things for us, that his choice represented a lack of choice for us. When Justin took his life he was saying, as millions do, that he could no longer bear witness to the world we inhabited. Justin was happy,a source of joy,  beloved by friends and his partner. He was interested in becoming a teacher and was heavily involved in several community projects in Cincinatti. Many theories were put forth as to why he made the decision. The only theory that holds true, in many of his friends eyes, is that he felt utterly helpless. Helpless in the face of so much devastation to do anything, to radically change what he perceived as wrong. He had an unflagging faith that people were able to rise above their vices and their greed to embrace a new direction.We knew that he struggled with this belief and what he saw every day to denounce that belief. It is this refusal to surrender that faith that led to his decision. I miss him terribly.