AN ABUNDANCE OF LOVE

by Sivan Butler-Rotholz

 

 

I was absolutely devastated to learn that Okla Elliott passed away. The co-founder and managing editor of As It Ought To Be, he was my editor for 10 years. Every time I attempt to write about who Okla was and all he accomplished, I am humbled by the sheer weight of the task. Never have I known a man more prolific, more passionate, more capable. He was the smartest and most well-read person I knew, period. And he was, in my experience, the very definition of a mensch.

There has been much written about Okla since his passing, but I want to add one thing that seems, to me, salient. For most of the 10 years I knew him, Okla was an ardent atheist. Then, in the summer of 2016, he nearly died twice, survived, and, in his surviving, found God. I am not a traditional believer myself, but I was moved by Okla’s newfound relationship with God, and with the countless ways Okla lived a life in the spirit of the core values of his religion: kindness to others, care for the downtrodden, generosity, social welfare, and an abundance of love. Okla did not live what I too often see masquerading as Christianity, but tried to live a life closer to the teachings of Jesus, who was himself a righteous Socialist, much like Okla's (and my) beloved Bernie Sanders. 

Looking back, I can’t help but wonder if there were not some divine purpose in sparing Okla's life twice, and only taking him from this earth once he had reconnected with his god. At the very least, I know his transformation brought him comfort. But I hope it’s more than that. I hope he knew something that many of us don’t. I hope he was right, and that he is now in a place worthy of a man who tried to live a righteous life, as Okla did. My heart goes out to everyone who is grieving for this loss.

The world will never know another like you, Okla. You will be missed more than we can imagine, #happyrobotmonkeyman.

 

 

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