Alex Xydias

I’ve been grappling with this all weekend. When one of our pioneers passes, I’m never quite sure what to say, and with Alex Xydias, it’s even tougher. Alex wasn’t just a legend—he was my friend, and he meant a hell of a lot to me.

As we get older, we tend to turn into stubborn old mules, stuck in our ways. We decide how things are, and that’s that—no matter what new evidence comes along or how the world changes around us. We lose that spark, that drive to think differently.

But what made Alex special was that he never lost that hunger to learn. He never settled into a rut and was always on the lookout for new angles, new ideas, new ways of thinking. The years could roll by, but Alex wasn’t about to close himself off. He stayed open, curious, always ready for something new.

I aspire to live like Alex did… to think like he did… and you should too.

I hadn’t talked to Alex in a year or so, and despite his age, I had no clue he was close to passing. He just never seemed old to me—never seemed anything less than invincible. It sounds absurd, but I couldn’t picture a world where I’d outlive him—figuratively or literally.

It’s hard to be sad about such a well lived life, but damnit man… I’m pretty selfish.