Terry Gross asked Judt about his views on religion and the afterlife. His answer:

“I am much more conscious than I ever was, for obvious reasons, of what it will mean to people left behind once I’m dead. It won’t mean anything for me. But it will mean a lot to them. And it’s important for them that some spirit of me is in a positive way present in their lives, in their heads, in their imaginings and so on.”

“So in one curious way I’ve come to believe in the afterlife as a place where I still have moral responsibilities, just as I do in this life, except that I can only exercise them before I get there. Once I get there, it’ll be too late.”

Sameer’s spirit is so remarkably present in our lives, in our heads, and in our imaginings. His spirit lives on, through us. We miss you, Sameer.

I still remember walking into his offices, off in a typical street in Mumbai and into a modern Silicon Valley enclave. I was so impressed that with everything he’d built there, and by the way he took care of and respected his team (and so was respected). Of course, that respect only grew when months later we all saw how he fought against leukemia with a courage like the world has never seen.

Sameer, you continue to inspire me.

Sameer’s life has even touched the research we do at Stanford. Sameer’s father once told me that Sameer had an uncanny way of asking a fundamental, thought provoking question to people (even strangers) - and that question would linger in their minds. This notion of ‘ripple effects’ (where one small question could have long term impact) is the heart of a conference we created on social hacks for good - the science of doing good: http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/aaker/ConferencesandBriefings.html.

If you ever would like to sit in on a class, get to know my students, or connect in any way, please email me - aaker@gsb.stanford.edu

Just the other day I found myself reflecting on a core Samba value, showing your friends you care about them. A friend who’s birthday is approaching re-emphasized not wanting to celebrate it. Would Samba let a pal miss a chance to party, be costumed against their will, be pranked and celebrate with a ton of friends? You kidding me? No way!

To party or not party, to celebrate life or not to celebrate was not a choice with Samba. He would plan an elaborate party, surprise or whatever - often pulling you a little out of your comfort zone. But it was always good - always memorable. Having someone to take the time to do that made you know you had a good friend.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in ourselves. Take a moment soon to celebrate your friends, dance the way you want to, and get out of your comfort zone. Samba’s still with us.

To everyone interested in helping those dealing with Leukemia please consider registering to be a bone marrow donor. It’s now as simple as donating blood if you’re a match.
Click this link to find a drive near you http://bit.ly/bn21hO

Also, please help Hannah find a bone marrow donor. Her need is critically urgent. Please join her Facebook group here http://bit.ly/cZR4eT