Welcome to the world, Adam Pearl.
May 30, 2002 8:45 PM   Subscribe

 
Indeed. As you will no doubt learn way too early in life than you should have had, it's not much of a world, and it's still got lots of problems, but it's the only one we've got.

Long life and happiness to Adam, and to all of Daniel's family.
posted by yhbc at 8:51 PM on May 30, 2002


And in this day and age, as he gets older... you just know what he'll find on the web one day.

I hope he grows up to save the world. I really do.
posted by dopamine at 8:52 PM on May 30, 2002


Damn it, crabwalk, that just hurt to see.
And it makes me fear for the kind of world that could contain the type of men who killed his father.

*wiping away tears(no kidding)*
posted by jonmc at 8:55 PM on May 30, 2002


When I looked at that link, I felt a bizarre mix of happiness and such sorrow all at once. I'm glad his mother has Adam, I'm sure he means the world to her.
posted by Jubey at 9:12 PM on May 30, 2002


Siman tov u'mazel tov, Adam.
posted by evanizer at 9:30 PM on May 30, 2002


I was just about to post a link for some cool screen savers then I saw this. Words cannot even begin to express how sad yet hopeful this makes me. I think I'll let it stay on top a little longer.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:40 PM on May 30, 2002


When I looked at that link, I felt a bizarre mix of happiness and such sorrow all at once.

Me too, Jubey. I wish the best for them both.
posted by homunculus at 9:44 PM on May 30, 2002


...
posted by metrocake at 9:52 PM on May 30, 2002


...
posted by blissbat at 10:02 PM on May 30, 2002


The little guy is all papa.

Side note: Mariane Pearl is beautiful.
posted by dack at 10:05 PM on May 30, 2002


Side note: Mariane Pearl is beautiful.

Yes, Dack, she certainly is....and her grace, tolerance, and compassion through this terrible tragedy makes her a thousand times more beautiful.

Welcome, dear Adam.
posted by jennak at 10:31 PM on May 30, 2002


Happy Birthday, Adam. May your days be long, fruitful, and happy. May you inherit the strength of your parents and use it with wisdom. Finally, may the world you grow in be a better one than that which killed your father.

I'm gonna go drink some whisky and cry now.
posted by fnord_prefect at 10:33 PM on May 30, 2002


Happy birthday, Adam.
posted by hob at 10:39 PM on May 30, 2002


What a mix of emotions I am experiencing. I find myself saying the Kaddish while looking at this link. What a wide range of emotions I am feeling.

*wiping away tears(no kidding)*

Same here . . .
posted by RunsWithBandageScissors at 10:46 PM on May 30, 2002


In any other thread I'd probably get laughed at for saying this, but I can't think of a clearer example of the power of Love over Terror. That smile beats a thousand bin Laden attacks, hands down.

[Wipes away tears] I wonder how many other Marianne Pearls are out there, in Afghanistan, Israel, Iraq, Rwanda, Colombia, East Timor.

Military responses...feh. We can do better. Much better.
posted by mediareport at 11:13 PM on May 30, 2002


Best of luck to you, Adam.
posted by dogmatic at 11:14 PM on May 30, 2002


Bless all children and this one born into the world today, Jew and Palestinian, American and Afghan alike, whose fathers have been taken by warfare and violence.

May you create a better world than the one you are entering.
posted by fold_and_mutilate at 11:24 PM on May 30, 2002


I have much respect for Mrs. Pearl, and only the best of hopes for young Adam.

I was going to say that I hope he grows up to be both mentally and physically strong, with a heart more sensitive and less reactive than most of us, but with his mom, I doubt I really need to hope for that to come about.

s'a sure thing.
posted by Bixby23 at 12:41 AM on May 31, 2002


Bonne chance young man, bonne chance...
posted by mattr at 1:55 AM on May 31, 2002


That is a beautiful and still relatively lucky baby. Big hug to the mother.
posted by magullo at 2:51 AM on May 31, 2002


When I read Mariane Pearl's statement months ago I was in awe.
Amazing.
Inspiring.
Extending love even when the world slaps you around.
People like Pearl's window are heroes.

Continuing to love is HARD. Keeping faith in the world can be as difficult as running into a burning building.

But it is just as important.
Spreading love in the face of pain *is* heroic.

May the Pearl clan continue to inspire.
posted by halcyon at 3:11 AM on May 31, 2002


Hi wee baby, you're a smasher ... I hope you do your bit to making this century a lot more peaceful and beautiful than the last one. Your dad lived his life with a committment to truth and enlightenment. I know you'll do him proud. Lots of love from the Net.
posted by theplayethic at 3:13 AM on May 31, 2002


Mariane Pearl's statement in Feb.


excerpt:
"Revenge would be easy, but it is far more valuable in my opinion to address this problem of terrorism with enough honesty to question our own responsibility as nations and as individuals for the rise of terrorism. My own courage arises from two facts. One is that throughout this ordeal I have been surrounded by people of amazing value. This helps me trust that humanism ultimately will prevail. My other hope now--in my seventh month of pregnancy--is that I will be able to tell our son that his father carried the flag to end terrorism, raising an unprecedented demand among people from all countries not for revenge but for the values we all share: love, compassion, friendship and citizenship far transcending the so-called clash of civilizations. "
posted by halcyon at 3:19 AM on May 31, 2002


Good luck, Adam.
More than most, I'm afraid, you will struggle to be seen as an independent , flawed, unique and real individual.
I hope that you can find yourself, be yourself and satisfy yourself.
I can see that your parents did precisely that: I hope the world will let you do the same.
You are loved.
posted by dash_slot- at 4:25 AM on May 31, 2002


Best wishes, Adam. Good luck and long life.
posted by bjgeiger at 4:53 AM on May 31, 2002


Godspeed, mi amigo. You have a great name.
posted by adampsyche at 5:33 AM on May 31, 2002


Good luck, kid.

Mom? Concentrate on the kid, not the cause.
posted by fahfooh at 5:36 AM on May 31, 2002


This is one of the nicest threads on Metafilter I've read in a while. And I mean that in a good way.

All I can say is: what all of you said!!
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 5:39 AM on May 31, 2002


I happened to read the comments before the links, and my cynical self was thinking something like, "I'm genuinely happy, but I can't believe people are actually crying...I mean c'mon." After 10 seconds of looking at the page, I find myself in tears.....

Maybe there's a shred of hope after all.
posted by jalexei at 6:21 AM on May 31, 2002


Golly, that's nice. Shucks. Jiminy crickets.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:56 AM on May 31, 2002


Since my son was born, looking at newborn babies ALWAYS chokes me up. But this one more than most.

Maybe we should try to remember that everyone, at one time, was someone's precious baby.
posted by groundhog at 6:59 AM on May 31, 2002


stavros, please go pee somewhere else.
posted by jalexei at 7:07 AM on May 31, 2002


What a beautiful baby...welcome to the world, Adam.
posted by SisterHavana at 7:19 AM on May 31, 2002


i do not live inside a cave but, who was this daniel pearl? is he the u.s. journalist kidnapped in pakistan? why is he so special for you guys? a lot of journalists are killed doing their job every year, a lot of people is killed all over the world because of their religious and political believes … can someone please explain me why is he so loved?
posted by trismegisto at 8:02 AM on May 31, 2002


Unexpected beauty from MetaFilter. Thank you, all.

Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you
can understand.
-Yeats
posted by D at 8:08 AM on May 31, 2002


trismegisto, it's probably partially because of the somewhat unusual circumstances under which he died. Many journalists are killed or murdered every year, but few are kidnapped and made political pawns like Pearl was.

That said, best of luck to Adam.
posted by mrbula at 8:25 AM on May 31, 2002


trismegisto:

For me, it's the thought that this woman, Marianne Pearl, was in love with her husband, and they were going to have a baby. Then her husband died, and now this baby is a living piece of the man she loves, who she'll never see again.

Under the right circumstances, a new baby is a wonderful, joyous addition to a family. Adam Pearl brings the joy to his mother that all welcome new babies bring, but surely also brings incredible sadness, a reminder to his mother that her son will never meet his father, that she'll never see her son's father again. And then again, this baby is especially joyful and welcome because he is the living embodiment of his dead father. It's an incredible, heartbreaking roller coaster of emotion.

Add to this already sad and wonderful story the fact that the boy's father was killed in a horrible way by horrible people, in a very public display, and that most likely one day this kid, who never knew his father, is going to search for information on Daniel Pearl's life and find a video of him being decapitated, and to me it doesn't matter if it's Daniel Pearl's son or the child of a man I'd never heard of.

That's looking at the situation removed from the world political climate in which it happened and I don't think that's possible for a lot of people.
posted by jennyb at 8:29 AM on May 31, 2002


Adam. A fitting name for this new living hope wrought out of such chaos. Welcome to the World, little Pearl.
posted by grabbingsand at 8:35 AM on May 31, 2002


G-d bless, Adam.
posted by boardman at 9:04 AM on May 31, 2002


People of different nationalities and religions care about you and your Mum, Adam. Welcome.
posted by Tarrama at 9:14 AM on May 31, 2002


*sniff* Welcome aboard the crazy starship Earth dear Adam. May your life be filled with knowledge and peace.
posted by dejah420 at 9:26 AM on May 31, 2002


Even when death and destruction seem to loom in our faces, once again we see that life indeed does go on. This fills me with hope for our future.
posted by schlaager at 9:42 AM on May 31, 2002


"may the world you grow in be a better one than that which killed your father"

Wish you the same, with the serene understanding that it was not the world that killed your father, but hatred and ignorance , as it killed mine. The "world" only loves, this is your heritage from your parents.
posted by semmi at 10:03 AM on May 31, 2002


I guess the irony is lost on you whining bastards.

How many men have died willingly in the service of our collective countries? Women?

The last guy that died in Afghanistan... can you name him without performing a detailed Google search? Most likely not.

Sad as it may be about Pearl & son, young Adam will quickly be forgotten. Check back in two weeks, this thread will have been stagnant for some time.

My only suggestion (for my consolation could never be enough) for the mother of Adam would be as I said before:

Concentrate on the kid, not the cause. The cause is lost.
posted by fahfooh at 11:18 AM on May 31, 2002


Why am I a whining bastard? Since when is whining manifested through expressions of sentiment and hope for a new born child?
posted by grabbingsand at 1:12 PM on May 31, 2002


Check back in two weeks, this thread will have been stagnant for some time.

Most threads are within a day or so.

Concentrate on the kid, not the cause. The cause is lost.

Whatever...

I guess the irony is lost on you whining bastards.

Indulge us, o exalted one of ironic perception!
posted by adampsyche at 1:30 PM on May 31, 2002


...you whining bastards.

You may be unaware of it poofah, but you're the only one on this thread whining.
posted by semmi at 3:12 PM on May 31, 2002


While I think it's misplaced here, I see your point.
posted by semmi at 5:01 PM on May 31, 2002


Sorry, the right link is here, and thank you for the site.
posted by semmi at 5:06 PM on May 31, 2002


young Adam will quickly be forgotten

fahfooh, I don't believe people will forget him and I don't think you will either .
posted by Tarrama at 1:35 AM on June 1, 2002


don't feed the trolls . . .
posted by RunsWithBandageScissors at 5:46 AM on June 1, 2002


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