Rodger Swan
It was with shock and sadness that tonight I heard that Rodger Swan had passed away. Whilst I had never met Rodger, like many of those who followed his life in Japan through his videos, I was very fond of him. It was impossible to not like the guy (read more by a close friend of his).
His death, following a sudden illness yesterday morning, serves as a powerful reminder that ultimately, what matters is loving, caring, sharing, and being true to yourself. And doing that today, not tomorrow.
The honesty with which he shared his life was touching. I found his attitude inspiring, and comforting too – knowing that this good person was out there.
When working in the media or living a networked life, striving to achieve business goals or chasing ’success’, it’s only too easy to get swallowed up by pretence, and to sacrifice the practice of things that really matter for the sake of reaching superficial goals.
What matters at the end of the day though? I think it’s love, compassion, and being true to yourself.
And that’s what Rodger’s death reminds me.
Rodger, you shall be missed.
Rodger posted his last video 3 days ago.
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Hello. I'm Joseph. I'm a Tokyo-based Brit, recently returned to Japan following the successful completion of a 5-year mission to learn Japanese, and secure the right to stay in Japan. I'm a happy husband, production and marketing director at White Rabbit Press, podcast producer, video blogger, entrepreneur and photographer. The Daily Mumble documents my personal journey through life. 
In Memoriam Rodger Swan « unlikelysquiggle | February 4th, 2010 at 6:06 am #
[...] It takes a man every bit as amazing as Rodger Swan to remind us of the kind of people we’d like to be, and his character remains strong to this day. His videos leave behind a legacy, proof that Rodger’s life was far more meaningful than his death could ever be. We could pin Rodger’s appeal first as Tokyo Swan and later as Iwate Swan to many things, from his prolific posting to his relaxed and endearing on-camera attitude, but perhaps the most influential aspect of Rodger was his sincerity. For all the skepticism vloggers face, it’s easy to forget that the youtube audience actually can make an authentic connection with people like Rodger, people who are too genuine not to bond with, and while the phenomenon is a rarity, it’s also one of the most comforting connections we can have. The appeal of a young man thousands of kilometers away with unusual interests may not be apparent at first glance, but from those first videos it’s easy to see why so many felt so close to Swan and found solace in his shared journey. His death…serves as a powerful reminder that ultimately, what matters is loving, caring, sharing, and being true to yourself. And doing that today, not tomorrow. The honesty with which he shared his life was touching. I found his attitude inspiring, and comforting too – knowing that this good person was out there. (via Joseph Tame) [...]
hector | February 21st, 2010 at 4:58 am #
Hey,
My name is Hector. I live in Mexico, and I´m aswell a fan of japanese culture. I´ve been watching Tokyo cooney´s videos for a year now and today I watched, Rodger Swan´s memorial. Been that I have never had the opportunity to go to Japan, this vlogs are a great source of entreteinment and of education as well. SO I’m sorry to find out that a cool vlogger passed a way.
Specially Rodger, eventhoug I just met him watching his vidoes and bio make realize what a kind person he was. I hope he rests in peace.