To the rest of the world he was Shafayet Reja: an amiable, hardworking, and fair-minded young man, as devoted to serving his community as he was to his family and friends. But to those who knew him well, he was simply Joy—and that was enough to describe him.

It was obvious from the first sight of his genuine and heartwarming smile that Joy was, in essence, a life-sized teddy bear. Most anyone could easily see that he possessed a kind of pure innocence rarely found in people his age, one we usually grow out of when we leave childhood behind. Perhaps that explains the strong sense of comfort and familiarity we so often felt around him, as if we could somehow rediscover in his presence, time and time again, a long-forgotten part of ourselves. It is undeniable, nevertheless, that Joy had the exceptional ability to bring ineffable happiness and serenity to all those around him. He was a ray of sunshine, a Heavenly light, and there is no doubt that we all find ourselves just that much poorer now, having lost an invaluable treasure from our midst.

To describe the essence of who he was and the life he led is a nigh impossible task, for there is so much that can be said about Joy. Among the many beautiful things about him, though, was that he was, at heart, an adventurer. He loved to live life to its fullest, with heartfelt sincerity and an open mind, as well as a strong determination to make the most of all his blessings, including every minute of the precious time he had with the people most dear to him. These aspects of his personality, along with his great humility, kindness, generosity, compassion, and even his often playfully mischievous nature granted him a sort of irresistible charm: he was like candy to our souls, and so it came as no surprise that people were drawn to him by the dozens, like ants to a picnic.

I am sure that every one of us has his or her own conception of who Joy was and what he meant to us, and no amount of writing can ever compare to the enormity of all our fond memories and the impact he has left on our lives. Nevertheless, I strongly suspect that despite our varied memories of him, we can all agree that Joy was, in essence, a walking reminder of a simple but crucial truth: namely, that none of us can really begin to live until we learn to be true to ourselves, and genuinely loving towards everyone around us. Simple though it may seem, this concept is one that many people well into old age never come to understand—yet Joy had not only grasped it early on, but also inspired countless others before even his twenty-third birthday.

So if we think about it, although we may mourn the untimely loss of so dear a friend and so beautiful a human being, we should take comfort knowing that this young man had found more meaning in his few years of life on this Earth than most people find even after decades of existence. You see, Joy really understood what it meant to live, in the truest sense of the word, and that is precisely what he did. So as we look back on his life and think of all the ways in which he touched our hearts and helped us to bring out the best inside ourselves, we can only hope and pray that our beloved friend now finds himself in a better place, one deserving of so extraordinary a human being. He will be sorely missed, to be sure, but his glowing memory will remain in our hearts and minds forever. How could it not? He was, after all, the Joy of our lives...and he always will be.

Parisa Rahman