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by HL33tibCe7 1290 days ago
Desperately sad news. I never met him, he never met Me, but https://chrisseaton.com/army/ made a real impression on me. It’s the kind of thing that sits in your head and pops up from time to time. I found the level of dedication here alongside his professional success incredibly inspiring. Tragically, part of that article is about his young daughter.

Not really sure what to think now.

2 comments

This part had something about it that stuck out in light of the news (first just a bit, but then it kept going):

"My fantastic job with Shopify meets my physiological and safety needs, and the job is rewarding and intellectually stimulating (not many people get to work on their PhD work for so long with a team they’ve built around them and I’m very grateful.) But then what? What are you doing to feel alive and to know that you matter? How do you fit into something enduring and bigger than yourself? The Army challenges me every week, and those challenges better me and make me happier. I know that people are depending on me, and that if I don’t turn up and lead my Squadron then nobody’s going to do that for me."

Like you, not sure what to think.

Indeed, he seemed to have all the things that generally is believed to combat that trend towards darkness.

However, I recall my absolute lowest and the first time I entertained the thought to end it, the 'it' was specifically what it felt like to be in my body. It wasn't a matter of self-worth, it was to stop pain. The strongest reason I could come up with to wait for it to pass was the pain it would cause my mother.

So, I don't know.

"The strongest reason I could come up with to wait for it to pass was the pain it would cause my mother."

You got hold of the right reason. And sometimes we need to hold on to that reason - the pain we would cause to others - for dear live. So to speak.

Like you his article about the army reserve made an impression on me. I myself am a serving officer in the Canadian Army reserve and I reached out to him to connect. He was generous with his time and we were chatting about work, life, and army stuff this year. He offered help in finding me a role within Shopify and most recently he congratulated me on finishing my junior officer training.

Chris was not just a great technologist but also an officer and a gentleman. Rest in peace, Sir.