On Jason Arday's Death

Jason Arday, fellow autist and former Cambridge University professor, died on Friday. The cause of death has not yet been released, but in the wake of the controversy surrounding his alleged plagiarism and subsequent resignation from his position at Cambridge, many are speculating that he took his own life. I do not want to add to the pain of his family by commenting on any controversies in which he may have been embroiled during his life, but I will say that I am horribly saddened by this turn of events. As a teenager in the mid- to late nineties, I grew up on the campus of Duke University, where my father was a PhD student. I feel a certain kinship with any academic because of my father, controversy or not. I cannot imagine what his family and two children are going through right now. I have intentionally fostered a certain introspection on this blog over the years, and his death is no exception. As stated before, I will not comment on any controversies related to him, as with his death, doing so would serve no purpose but add to the already large amount of anguish that plagued him (and by extension his family) during his life. However, I do want to say one thing: nothing he could have done could possibly warrant the amount of hatred he received from thousands of commenters on the internet.

There comes a point where you must realize that your opinion as a third party is irrelevant—mine included—and throwing gasoline onto an already raging fire serves no purpose whatsoever. Of course, I myself was guilty of this back when I had social media, not only angrily commenting on articles relating to whatever the controversy of the day was but also being unkind towards others, bolstered by a certain anonymity. It has taken years for me to realize that I needed to use my words for good on the internet when stories involve individuals, and it is partially my regret related to my past actions that has caused me to retreat from these platforms to the solitude of my writing. I deeply regret my actions in the past, and it is stories like this that make me realize how warranted my regret is. No one is perfect, and we all get angry sometimes, often rightfully so, but it is good to step back and realize that there are human beings with feelings behind the stories we read about. I hope that Jason Arday's family can find some solace in this difficult time. Peace was something that, during the last few weeks of his life, seems to have been robbed from him. I've always liked to think that when we pass away, we each go to whatever version of heaven would be heaven for us. I truly hope that Jason has found this peace and comfort in the afterlife.