Two Pilots, Flight Technician, Iranian President Dead: Briefly

A helicopter carrying two pilots, a flight technician, and at least five other folks crashed yesterday. They’re all dead. One of them was Iran’s president: which made the aviation accident international news.

• News
  • “Iran’s president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash at moment of high tensions in Mideast”
    Jon Gambrell, AP (May 20, 2024)
  • “Iran declares five days of mourning for president”
    Michael Sheils McNamee, BBC News (May 20, 2024)
• Wikipedia
  • 2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash
  • Ebrahim Raisi

I am not happy that at least eight people died in that helicopter. I am particularly troubled, because at least one of those deaths may make life difficult for a great many other folks.

All of which may take a little explaining.

I think human life matters. All human life. Each human life: no matter how young or old, healthy or sick we are. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2258, 2261, 2268-2283)

The life of everyone in that helicopter mattered because each of them is human. What each one did, and may have believed, doesn’t change that. (Catechism, 360, 1700-1706, 1932-1933, 1935)

Life matters. So does responsibility and justice.

Like everyone else, I can try helping or hurting others. And I’m responsible for my actions. (Catechism, 1701-1709, 1730-1738, 2258)

I’ve talked about death, life, and making sense, before:

• “Euthanasia for the Mentally Ill: Not a Good Idea?”
  (January 18, 2023)
• “Health and Surfside Condo Collapse: Siloam Scenarios”
  (June 26, 2021)
• “Executed: Daniel Lewis Lee”
  (July 14, 2020)