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 One of Liberia’s Great Servants
Mankind, down through the ages has come the cry for knowledge and more
knowledge. Around us, everything is changing and nothing seems
permanent and fixed. The mountains crumble away, the rivers dry up in
the Sahara Desert, and cease to flow, islands sink and new seas are
formed.
The great oaks, in all their majesty must succumb to transition, to change, or death. Man goes on his way and crosses the borderline into the unknown and seems to end his existence in the twinkling of an eye. Is there any part of man, therefore, or any part of nature, that is immortal, unchanging permanent and continuous? Still, there was always the quest for knowledge and the desire for answers to problems unsolved. Why are we here? Who are we? Whence came we? And whither do we go? Is this personality of ours, this individuality which we strive to build up through idealism and the elimination of undesirable traits, merely a temporarily or imaginarily creation of our minds?
Once again Grand Gedeans are poised to bid farewell to a friend and brother, Thomas Hanson, who experienced transition on Monday at the Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Upper Darby following a brief illness. Brother Hanson held several prominent positions in Liberia, including Managing Director of the Liberian Produce Marketing Corporation, President of the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment, Deputy Minister for Administration of the Ministry of Finance and Member of the Board of Directors of NBL.
I met Brother Hanson in June of 1988, in Monrovia at the National Bank. At the time, I was visiting one of my friends, the late Moses G. Tarbo (May his soul rest in perfect peace), who worked at the national bank and at the time introduced me to Mr. Hanson. I never saw him again until the beginning of the civil war, early 1990, at the Free Port, when he visited the Manager Director, Mr. Francis Dunbar. Mr. Hanson accordingly, advanced the professional careers of young Liberians assigned at the National Bank. Overseas scholarships were made available to young Liberians, irrespective of tribes, during his tenure as Governor of the National Bank of Liberia. He was instrumental in having some young Grand Gedeans to enroll at institutions like Cuttington University College and the University of Liberia. He was a strong advocate for the education of young Liberians.
When I returned to the states in 1990, I met Mr. Hanson at various meetings hosted by the Grand Gedeh Association, both in Providence, Rhode Island and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was concerned with Krahn unity, especially in 1993 and 1994, when the heads of LPC, ULIMO J, ULIMO K and the AFL could not see –eye to eye, he tried to bring these leaders together. When some Krahn Generals were in 1994, in Monrovia, imprisoned by ECOMOG, Mr. Hanson made available funds, in order for women to prepare food for the generals. Governor Hanson was a man of great compassion; he will be greatly missed. He was a strong supporter of the activities of Grand Gedeh Association.
To the Hanson family, the lessons of great religions have informed us, all great Avatars who have preceded us, have proclaimed that the genuine life is not the one we cherish the most, even though it should truly be lived to the fullest. All without exception have affirmed that earthly existence is only one phase of life and that it should be approached more as a transitory experience than as a final reality. Seen in this light, there is no death but only changes in life’s expression. Therefore, it is not wrong to say that when we die on this earthly plane it is because the time has come for us to be reborn on the spiritual plane. Mankind needs to reflect on this question: “Which birth –earthly or spiritual- is the noblest, the happiest, the most divine and the most eagerly awaited by the soul itself with an eternal anticipation.
Most Christians have spent some time wondering what happens to us after we die. As Christians, we need to look at the account of Lazarus, who was raised from the dead by Jesus. He spent four days in the afterlife, yet the Bible tells us nothing about what he saw. Of course, Lazarus' family and friends must have learned something about his journey to heaven and back. And many of us today are familiar with the testimonies of people who have had near-death experiences. But each of these accounts are unique, and can only give us a glimpse into heaven.
Mrs. Bargblor and I extend to Mrs. Hanson and the entire Hanson family, our profound feelings of sympathy for the home going of our friend and brother, Hon. Thomas Hanson. May he enjoy the fruits of eternal life.
About Mr. Bargblor:
Mr. Edmund Zar-Zar Bargblor is a graduate of Cuttington University College , Howard University, Washington, D.C. and Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa , Israel and former Chairman of the Board of Directors, Grand Gedeh Association. Former Deputy Managing Director of the National Port Authority, NPA, Liberia; presently, he is President of the African Catholic Community of Rhode Island.
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