The death last week of our esteemed leader King Abdullah carries with it the natural shock and sadness of an expected and profound loss, even though the man in question had lived a full life. As an individual, we may indeed be happy for him that his lifespan and he himself so prosperous and successful, the master of many accomplishments. But of course, the death of a king is always more than the death of a mere person, because of the many lives the he touches — indeed, shapes — and maybe even more importantly, because of the complex symbolic connotations that the individual figure may carry.
In a popular song by Sufjan Stevens, the songwriter contemplates the death of a leader and asks, “Is there some idea to replace my life?” In homage to the person of our late king, we should contemplate the ideas that guided his life and rule, although, in a sense, they will never “replace” it. For example, it is remarkable that a man whose birth was almost a century ago was the one to bring Saudi Arabia fully into the modern era, through his investment in the necessary infrastructures that made us competitive on the world stage, in commerce and in education. At the same time, and almost as important, King Abdullah’s stand against extremism has, I would venture, made the entire world safer and better. We cannot move forward while backsliding into the darkness and ignorance of extremism, and our king made sure that we were safe from this threat. For this, as we contemplate events occurring in other Arab countries and compare them to our own peaceful state, we each owe him a personal debt of gratitude.
I also personally admire King Abdullah’s recognition of the profound importance of international cooperation. Indeed, I would venture that the mark of a good leader is his propensity to make his country less isolated in the world, surrounded by friends and allies, Conversely, a poor leader does the opposite, plunging his people into isolation and enmity in the world community. King Abdullah made overtures to world leaders and formed lasting and mutually respectful friendships. Like any caring father, he leaves us richer than he found us, not only in material goods and tangible infrastructure, but also in terms of our friendships throughout the world. We are much the poorer for having lost him, but we are even more the richer for having had him.
