Funeral Address
In Honor of ATTA OLOUMI
Deceased on November 26, 1999

Our son, our brother, our companion, our friend, Atta Oloumi, left us a week ago.

An enlightened man, a high spirit soaring on high altitudes, and a shining intelligence, he Left us on that fatal night and joined the sun, so that he still enlighten us, and indeed, Even more than before. A generous man, always listening, always ready to help or give advice or find an Interlocuotr or travel to different corners of the world to make things progress and make Mankind and humanity advance, this man left by us that cold, that fatal cold night in order to Return to us by the heat of an ardent cloud.

A human who grew indefinitely. He had become a giant. A man who would rise indefinitely. He knew the ultimate heights.

Atta left us but he is still here. He is still here but in a different fashion. He is here now. He is here among us. He is here in us.

He was a glowing destiny. He went as far as a man can imagine and do. His destiny was Indeed glowing. He brought us all essential elements that transformed and oriented us irrevocably. Atta has left us. But he has not disappeared. He circulate in us, he lives in us.

Nothing disappears, everything is transformed. Atta was, Atta is, and Atta will be.

At the beginning there is the Universe, the Whole. Madam, you then created him. We all Received him. From the Whole, Atta became part of the society of men. Thanks to you, he worked and polished himself. He worked us and polished us. He taught us to work and taught us to polish ourselves, to refine ourselves. He taught us to teach this teaching. Others are reinforced in their work. And other will be.

Atta came. He was light and he gave light. Having received a lot, what did he not give to? His family, what pride was he not? His mind determined the logical consequences of all problems. How to send a space ship to Mars. How to locally diffuse a maximum of Information. How to interconnect our brain and the networks of data, how to stabilize chaos, how to protect a nation from instability, how to bomb the tyrants of the world, How to bring freedom to the oppressed, how to feed the homeless, - - - and amazing question like what strategy to adopt to go out with a woman from Island.

Without citing everyone or being in any way exhaustive, what did he not bring in the field of Physics to Denis, Jean-Louis, to research in general and to Stanford University in particular, in the field of management of technology, to Philippe, to Ardavan, to Francois, to the Orator, in the field of aeronautics, to Rudy, in the field of publication and writing, to Gerard and Jean-Charles, in the field of Television, to Sophie and Thierry, in the field of Video, to Christophe, in photography, to Maia, in the field of press, to Jean Charles, Yves , Oliver, in the fields that I do not know , to Eric , and still in many other fields, to other individuals. And I say nothing about all he brought to a considerable number of children whom he always took seriously and whom he helped raise. And I shall not mention all the hope and love that he brought his ever-changing circles, rich in individualities and high in the number of persons. He always told us "determine what is of interest to you and find the means to do it, instead of determining what you can do with means you have.

His teaching was not only material, spirituality had the first place. He remembered perfectly the precept engraved in gold on top of the temple of Delphi: " Konw thyself." He did and made us do this work of introspection. His message is, from now on, ours. We have engraved it in our hearts. " Learn to know your profound nature in order not to ever lie to your self." I propose to repeat this once with me: " Learn to know your profound nature in order not to ever lie to your self."

Atta came. He was light and gave light. Atta is gone, but the light is still here. He is present. He has simply changed his form. Before, he was present with us. Now, he is in us, and through us he lives. He came and planted his seeds and now the wheat is ripe. We are ready to pick it up and plant anew the fruits of his teaching and propagate them.

He came, we received him. He taught us. He is now watching us. We are in a sense his disciples. What a difficult task. Atta was our engine. We continue his work. We must develop his ideas in physics, in technology, in the world of images and words, and his ideas concerning society. We must bear the heritage and develop it further. We must grow more. We must bear it but also diffuse it and spread it.

From the whole, Atta went to the parts. Now, he is disseminated among us. He is everywhere; He is again the whole. He shall be the pedestal of our community. But this Whole is an organized one. Madam, your role will be indispensable for the rendering of his heritage, which is also yours. This is considerable. Yours is a heavy task.

You will be the glowing star of community around Atta. What we have received from him will make us your sons with the duties and obligations that this includes. We will have to bear your son’s strength and energy, and then communicate it.

We will have to hold ourselves accountable to you. Inversely, you will have to unite us and see to the convergence of the rays from the same sun. You will have to wake those up who may go to sleep, for their own sake and for that of others. Beyond our every day action towards that direction, it seems crucial to reflect upon a legal structure that could bear the dynamics initiated by Atta and his spirit.

Madam, Sir, my friends, night has taken Atta from us. But his energy is still here. Nothing is lost. The main difference is that this energy is now entrusted to us. We have the great responsibility to keep it coherent. Atta then, will be alive and everywhere, he shall be our sun, a sun that we shall maintain.

Madam, Sir, my friends, by watching the light, let us think of him and hope.