A dream dies too
Even in death, Pakistani American Harris Suleman has succeeded in his mission – promoting education for underprivileged children. Yet, in hindsight, a few points about the tragedy need to be investigated. There is no denying the nobility of the cause. However, attempting a flight around the world, that too in a month, is a monumental and complicated exercise. And sadly, as is the case, such initiatives carry grave risks, to one’s own life and others’. The victim’s father, who accompanied him on the fateful journey, also died in the crash.
Investigations into the accident, which occurred on the last leg of his journey as he prepared to re-enter mainland North America, would no doubt be looking into the pilot’s coordination mechanism on the ground. Such an extensive exercise would have required meticulous planning and execution. And if technical errors or misjudgements caused the crash, then the need for streamlining such activities in future cannot be stressed enough. Granted, private citizens have the right to choose their methods of protest, etc, and it is well within a certified pilot’s rights to circle the globe, but very strict guidelines should nonetheless be put into place to prevent recurrent tragedies.
Even though Harris’s endeavour revolved around a noble cause, there are also instances where sponsors encourage such adventures for recognition and press time. And while they cause much uproar when their efforts bear fruit, celebrations quickly turn sour when the slightest error of judgement can translate into loss of life and property. The case of Harris is all the more disturbing. At 17 years of age and full of initiative, his untimely passing has extinguished a flame that was clearly so full of promise. If his death has been felt so heavily by the world, the price it extracted from his immediate family must be that much higher.
His death must also remind others that while it is right to chase dreams, it is also no less important to be prudent about tactics used to pursue strategies. There must have been other ways of bringing the plight of the underprivileged to a wider audience. And no matter how gifted a pilot he was, a round-the-world trip in a short time would have exhausted the best of the lot. It is hoped that with his passing his dream will not die.
