If I had to choose one word to describe my father, I would choose “teacher.”
My father was a teacher by training, but he was also a teacher in a much broader sense.
With his vast knowledge, he would guide, mentor, focus, direct with unwavering diligence, and set an example for all to see.
If I had to choose two words to describe my father,  I would choose “teacher” and “student,” because in addition to being a true teacher, he was also endlessly curious, always thirsty for knowledge.
Maybe it was those two aspects of his personality – the teacher and the student – that made him such a widely loved and accepted figure. His deep respect for all people, his ability to find a common language with each and every person, his curiosity about people’s stories, pasts, and desires, and the manner in which he sought to inspire fulfillment and self-realization in everyone around him – these qualities demonstrate his greatness as a teacher, student, and public figure.
My dear father,
I did not come here to mourn you, but to sit by your side!
To follow you down ancient roads and tell of your presence and your absence in our lives …
To speak of longing…

I miss my father drinking his cup of coffee, the touch of his hand, his voice.
I miss his ability to keep his fellow citizens in his thoughts, from the moment he woke up until he went to bed at night. 
Every man, woman, and child with whom he met, whose story he heard, whose path he crossed – they fascinated him deeply and touched him to the core.
I miss his love of the written language, of lyricism, shifting effortlessly between the archaic and the modern, and his appreciation for parables, poems, and phrases passed on from generation to generation, from grandfather to mother to daughter and son.
The appreciation for ancient traditions and the desire to preserve them for future generations imparted my father with a deep understanding of the importance of defending the unique voice of every ethnicity and culture and the significance of promoting literacy among all citizens.
That, if you will, is why I miss his unique educational vision, which saw indiscriminate respect for all cultures as a tool for enriching the lives of us all.
I miss his displeasure with the public discourse growing superficial and the language growing coarse and circumscribed. Because before we strip our language of its most precious assets, we must first honor it by learning it all. Before we strip away our rich vocabulary, we must remember it, know it and its past, its sources, its culture.
I miss his belief that words beget reality and his attempt to lead his country into a new age of tolerance, camaraderie, mutual support, rather than one of incitement, divisiveness, and disrespect.
I miss his belief in equality, his curiosity, his caring nature, his solidarity.
I miss his belief in peace, coexistence, and good neighborliness; his desire to reach out to the unknown and break down the barriers of language, estrangement, and fear.
I miss the man who believed that people can overcome any obstacle – as long as they do it together.