Eulogy: About Chris Pieper

Chris Pieper (Christopher William Pieper) was born on March 1, 1996. Born and raised in the magnificent metropolis that is Chicago, he's become embedded with the great culture, knowledge, and diversity the city offers that is only challenged by few other places. 

Growing up, Chris went to elementary school at South Loop elementary in Chicago's downtown. He was raised by two educators and spent much time at Lincoln Park Zoo's education department, where his mom worked. He also enjoined visiting museums and other public places that the great city of Chicago has to offer. In seventh grade, he transferred to Whitney Young Academic Center in the west loop, conveniently located within a short walk of his house. There, he studied until his junior year at WY High School, with some of the best students, teachers, and curriculum in the city. 

Chris was a man of many interests. He was a lighting designer with Whitney Young's theater company, and ran sound and light technical operations for a variety of events. He also played clarinet in the school band. When he wasn't working in the Company, or working on schoolwork at home, he was found doing puzzles, playing (amateur) soccer, watching the Cubs, Bears, or Blackhawks, doing crafts, baking, listening to music, reading, socializing, or atrophying in front of a computer. Chris was a teen journalist for the Chicago teen newspaper The Mash, volunteered at the Field Museum of Natural History's education department. He was a passionate environmentalist, a big political junkie and a progressive Christian, all of which drastically helped shape his personal philosophy. 

Some of Chris' core beliefs are that every person has good inside of them, that everything happens for a reason, and that everyone can be great. He believed that no matter who you are or what your background, we are all created in an image of goodness and love and can thus overcome differences and forgive wrongdoing. He believed that although life may have hit you, or times may be hard, and bad things may happen, it all happens for a reason, even if we go our entire lives not knowing what that reason is. And he believed that when people emerge from tough times, resilient and inspiring, that they emerge stronger than before. Finally, he thought that everyone has the capacity for greatness, but not everyone is one of the greats for one large reason: because they didn't unlock their maximum potential. Tragic it may be, but only those who reach for the stars and aspire to greatness are the ones who get there. 

He also had beliefs with the world as a whole. He understood that the world's resources were limited, that energy must be conserved and matter cannot be created or destroyed. He therefore supported clean, renewable energy sources that last forever, recycling and using less which saves resources and reduces waste for future generations. Above all, Chris has a passionate support for protecting land that was special, touching, and magnificent that ought be preserved for future use. He was a big fan of the Native American proverb: "This land was not given to you by your fathers- it was loaned to you by your sons." 

Chris was a man of many thoughts. He died at a young age, before he was able to let them further evolve or put them into action. He dreamed of impacting the world. He wanted to help people, to improve lives, and to touch someone in a way that reminded them of the goodness in the world and everyone in it. His driving inspiration: Someone, somewhere, waking up one morning in a better world than when they went to bed. He wanted to impact the world, and make it just a little, just a touch, brighter.

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Disclaimer: The above piece of writing was written for a philosophy of literature class on September 6, 2012 when the aforementioned Christopher Pieper was 16 years and 189 days old and in 11th grade. On that day he was not in any physical state that can be described by the following- including, but not limited to: dead, dying, of death, lifeless, not alive, lack of life, deceased, departed, late, gone, passed on, or any other English words of similar meaning or connotation. On September 6, 2012, he was not in a state near death and was not suffering from any major medical ailments ("major medical ailments" as defined and accepted by the majority of American doctors, nurses, workers in the field of medicine, the general public and general understanding of "major medical ailments" on September 6, 2012). The views, beliefs, opinions, and all other thoughts expressed in this piece are not necessarily the views, beliefs, opinion, and all other thoughts that Christopher Pieper will have in the future ("future" as defined as Spetember 7, 2012 or any subsequent date in the standard calendar of 2012 and every day of each following year), and should not be taken by the viewer of the aforementioned piece of writing as such.