On Kindness, Prez Libraries Warn Our Democracy Is in Danger, Ramaswamy Crazy for Guns, Palin Calls Insurrectionists "the Good Guys," Why the Church Hated the Fork, Review: "Bottoms," CSN&Y Sing
On Kindness, Prez Libraries Warn Our Democracy Is in Danger, Ramaswamy Crazy for Guns, Palin Calls Insurrectionists "the Good Guys," Why the Church Hated the Fork, Review: "Bottoms," CSN&Y Sing
On Kindness, Prez Libraries Warn Our Democracy Is in Danger, Ramaswamy Crazy for Guns, Palin Calls Insurrectionists "the Good Guys," Why the Church Hated the Fork, Review: "Bottoms," CSN&Y Sing
" I’d rather be kind than to have read all of Shakespeare. On the other hand, having read Shakespeare has helped make me kind." This might be my favorite Kareem quote ever. Thank you again for a reasoned, brilliant take on things. Re oldies and tech...I'm the original writer of "TRON" married to the man who invented the term "personal computer"- Alan Kay. And yes, your take on the older person's relationship to tech is spot on. Even for former extreme techies such as us. Yep, exactly. Man, I love reading you... thanks again.
K, we have all heard the all saw “ youth is wasted on the young”. It is both true and false. I particularly enjoyed you quote of the day and musings on kindness. Why does it take so long to figure this out. That wisdom is kindness; that it is truly more satisfying to give to others? Unfortunately I think the human species has to go through the long valley or desert of ego and stupidity and survive such to get to wisdom and kindness. And some maybe most don’t make it. But you have. And I think I have and it is a wonderful thing for the time that is left
At 75, a fair amount of my time is spent reflecting on the past, mostly the times when I was mean to someone or the times I was "right" about something when I really wasn't. The result today? I keep my opinions and "observations" to myself unless someone sincerely wants to hear them. (Some would say that is selfish, but when I tried to think of people whose lives were benefitted by my opinions, I came up pretty empty.)
So how do I relate to the world now? I'm trying to live my last years in total kindness. The goal is to leave everyone I run across a little lighter than they had been. As a young man, I would have thought that that way of being is naive. But look around you at the world that young men like me created, and then tell me who is native.
The world we live in now is characterized by a general devotion to being right and winning. And the result for too many has been chronic depression and separation from other people. I used to be in that same mindset, but encouraged by the lesson of years of stress-induced medical problems, I let that mindset go. Now, I have no enemies, and my wife and children are no longer mad at me. It was a good trade.
Not so veiled irony: Thirteen Presidential Libraries issue a warning about the deterioration of the American Experiment under the malignant watch of one Donald J. trump-- the only POTUS* in the history of Presidential Libraries likely never to construct or compile one--save for the extensive archive of court documents and transcripts chronicling his chicanery and, of course, the sodden masses fished out of the presidential toilet by conscientious White House staffers.
Thank you, as ever, Kareem, for today’s edition. Another form of wisdom - related to your thoughts on eschewing every bright, new, shiny tech object - is simply being satisfied with what you have. I can remember visiting my parents when they weren’t much older than I now am, and noticing the number of things in the house that didn’t quite work well - a static-y radio, a balky shredder, pots and pans I remembered from childhood with handles that were a bit loose. They could afford to replace them, but Dad said: “Works fine - you just have to fiddle with it.” They were Depression babies - Dad remembered the shame of wearing too-big, hand-me-down shoes with a hole in them, stuffed with cardboard because for years there was no money for a shoemaker, much less new shoes for him that fit. This, I figured, explained their willingness to make do. Now that I’m older, with the cheapest Android phone that takes forever to load, a 40-year-old stove, and a prehistoric printer that works … sort of … I find myself saying: “Works fine! I just have to fiddle with it.”
Wonderful post! May I add that Black history should be part of the curriculum of all students. Everyone should learn about the richness of African history and the lived history of slaves and free Blacks during Jim Crow. Bigotry and hate thrive on ignorance.
On May 4, 1970, I was in Vietnam, a lead medic in a heavily bunkered forward aid station 9 miles from the Cambodian border. The 37th Medical Co. the unit to which I was assigned, was essentially the M*A*S*H for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the first combat unit to cross the border with the goal of destroying a massive NVA/Viet Cong base camp. For weeks before the invasion the Air Force had bombed the bejesus out of the jungle. Every night it sounded like a distant thunderstorm, complete with lightning flashes, only lightning was not the cause of noise or the lights. A few days before the invasion, my senior NCO said he had been told extra medics were needed for the anticipated surge in casualties, and asked if I was willing to go. I was, and he briefed me on what supplies and equipment I would need to take with me. But, the day before the invasion, he said that headquarters had reconsidered and that leaving the 37th Med short-staffed was not a good idea. It was a busy two weeks.
Quan Loi, the 11th Cav's base camp, was close enough to Saigon that we could occasionally get a strong enough TV signal from the US Armed Forces Vietnam Network that we could watch snowy movies (the first time I ever saw "High Noon", really) and, of course, the "news" as was suitable for the troops to see. As the 11th Cav was in the process of pulling back across the border, the battle having been "won," I was watching on one of the two or three TVs in the company as Nixon was informing America that he had just ordered the invasion of Cambodia, two weeks after the fact. The brief shot of Nixon pointing at a map of Cambodia and Vietnam in the "Ohio" video brought all of what I've been trying to relate rushing back. I remember thinking, "You lying motherfucker," as I watched that scene on that small B&W TV. Nixon didn't have the balls to tell America he had ordered the invasion until it was over and, fortunately for him, the casualties, as many as there were, were still considered to have been "light" compared to what the upper brass had anticipated.
The quote "The highest form of wisdom is kindness" is a good one as is your quote, "I’d rather be kind than to have read all of Shakespeare. On the other hand, having read Shakespeare has helped make me kind."
The Jewish quote you may be thinking of comes from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel: "When I was young I admired clever people. Now that I'm old, I admire kind people."
In commemoration of 9/11, I’ve been thinking a lot this morning about my cousin Jane who went down in the towers. Recognizing the necessity of kindness in the world is a perfect antidote. Thank you, Kareem, and your uplifting videos. Jazz and tap for breakfast!
I think, if I remember the Vietnam PBS series correctly, the National Guard troops at Kent State received live ammunition that they weren’t supposed to be using on protestors (or weren’t trained to use). And truly, why shoot live ammo at a crowd of people? I worked (volunteer) for a while for one of the people injured at Kent State. He was nowhere near the demonstration; just walking to class across a parking lot, hundreds of yards away from the scene, when a stray bullet caught him barely an inch from his spine and then blew out part of his face. He had one heck of a time getting the government to pay his bills.
On a different note, so nice to see Sammy Davis Jr. I have always been amazed by his talent, and so sorry for how he was treated in the army and by JFK (not inviting him to the inauguration because his wife was white). Sammy deserved so much more respect than he received.
Usually when I comment it’s about how much I love your logical take on important subjects, but actually, I am a film teacher by trade, so today, I’m just excited that you mentioned one of my favorite movies of the year, maybe my absolute favorite movie of the year, Bottoms! I keep telling people to see this movie, it’s like they took the movie, ‘Heathers’ and mixed it with ‘Better Off Dead’, and threw in a little bit of subversive John Hughes like stuff- the best of the 80s teen flicks - and then put in modern sensibility. It is so funny and unexpectedly so - I can’t wait for more people to discover it! So much has been said about the lack of comedy movies lately, but I sure hope movies like this continue to come out in the future!
"Absolutism" is a sham argument. It's a stealth cover, cloaked in a notion of purity and intent. An armed and well-regulated militia populated by private citizens is no more, which was the justification for gun ownership. How do absolutists maneuver around the despicable human chattel provision in the Constitution that counts slaves as 3/5 a person for the US census yet denies the right to vote to all but property owning white men? Separation of Church and State -- that's pretty clear in the Constitution, but conveniently ignored. I'm so, so tired of the hypocrisy.
Amazing again, Kareem. "...those who embrace logic and those who don’t." Regarding divisiveness - another great quote I love is from General Norman Schwarzkopf. "Wars don't start because someone is right and someone is wrong. Wars start because someone is right and someone is right."
On Kindness, Prez Libraries Warn Our Democracy Is in Danger, Ramaswamy Crazy for Guns, Palin Calls Insurrectionists "the Good Guys," Why the Church Hated the Fork, Review: "Bottoms," CSN&Y Sing
" I’d rather be kind than to have read all of Shakespeare. On the other hand, having read Shakespeare has helped make me kind." This might be my favorite Kareem quote ever. Thank you again for a reasoned, brilliant take on things. Re oldies and tech...I'm the original writer of "TRON" married to the man who invented the term "personal computer"- Alan Kay. And yes, your take on the older person's relationship to tech is spot on. Even for former extreme techies such as us. Yep, exactly. Man, I love reading you... thanks again.
K, we have all heard the all saw “ youth is wasted on the young”. It is both true and false. I particularly enjoyed you quote of the day and musings on kindness. Why does it take so long to figure this out. That wisdom is kindness; that it is truly more satisfying to give to others? Unfortunately I think the human species has to go through the long valley or desert of ego and stupidity and survive such to get to wisdom and kindness. And some maybe most don’t make it. But you have. And I think I have and it is a wonderful thing for the time that is left
A remarkable issue of the newsletter, Kareem.
At 75, a fair amount of my time is spent reflecting on the past, mostly the times when I was mean to someone or the times I was "right" about something when I really wasn't. The result today? I keep my opinions and "observations" to myself unless someone sincerely wants to hear them. (Some would say that is selfish, but when I tried to think of people whose lives were benefitted by my opinions, I came up pretty empty.)
So how do I relate to the world now? I'm trying to live my last years in total kindness. The goal is to leave everyone I run across a little lighter than they had been. As a young man, I would have thought that that way of being is naive. But look around you at the world that young men like me created, and then tell me who is native.
The world we live in now is characterized by a general devotion to being right and winning. And the result for too many has been chronic depression and separation from other people. I used to be in that same mindset, but encouraged by the lesson of years of stress-induced medical problems, I let that mindset go. Now, I have no enemies, and my wife and children are no longer mad at me. It was a good trade.
Not so veiled irony: Thirteen Presidential Libraries issue a warning about the deterioration of the American Experiment under the malignant watch of one Donald J. trump-- the only POTUS* in the history of Presidential Libraries likely never to construct or compile one--save for the extensive archive of court documents and transcripts chronicling his chicanery and, of course, the sodden masses fished out of the presidential toilet by conscientious White House staffers.
Thank you, as ever, Kareem, for today’s edition. Another form of wisdom - related to your thoughts on eschewing every bright, new, shiny tech object - is simply being satisfied with what you have. I can remember visiting my parents when they weren’t much older than I now am, and noticing the number of things in the house that didn’t quite work well - a static-y radio, a balky shredder, pots and pans I remembered from childhood with handles that were a bit loose. They could afford to replace them, but Dad said: “Works fine - you just have to fiddle with it.” They were Depression babies - Dad remembered the shame of wearing too-big, hand-me-down shoes with a hole in them, stuffed with cardboard because for years there was no money for a shoemaker, much less new shoes for him that fit. This, I figured, explained their willingness to make do. Now that I’m older, with the cheapest Android phone that takes forever to load, a 40-year-old stove, and a prehistoric printer that works … sort of … I find myself saying: “Works fine! I just have to fiddle with it.”
Wonderful post! May I add that Black history should be part of the curriculum of all students. Everyone should learn about the richness of African history and the lived history of slaves and free Blacks during Jim Crow. Bigotry and hate thrive on ignorance.
On May 4, 1970, I was in Vietnam, a lead medic in a heavily bunkered forward aid station 9 miles from the Cambodian border. The 37th Medical Co. the unit to which I was assigned, was essentially the M*A*S*H for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the first combat unit to cross the border with the goal of destroying a massive NVA/Viet Cong base camp. For weeks before the invasion the Air Force had bombed the bejesus out of the jungle. Every night it sounded like a distant thunderstorm, complete with lightning flashes, only lightning was not the cause of noise or the lights. A few days before the invasion, my senior NCO said he had been told extra medics were needed for the anticipated surge in casualties, and asked if I was willing to go. I was, and he briefed me on what supplies and equipment I would need to take with me. But, the day before the invasion, he said that headquarters had reconsidered and that leaving the 37th Med short-staffed was not a good idea. It was a busy two weeks.
Quan Loi, the 11th Cav's base camp, was close enough to Saigon that we could occasionally get a strong enough TV signal from the US Armed Forces Vietnam Network that we could watch snowy movies (the first time I ever saw "High Noon", really) and, of course, the "news" as was suitable for the troops to see. As the 11th Cav was in the process of pulling back across the border, the battle having been "won," I was watching on one of the two or three TVs in the company as Nixon was informing America that he had just ordered the invasion of Cambodia, two weeks after the fact. The brief shot of Nixon pointing at a map of Cambodia and Vietnam in the "Ohio" video brought all of what I've been trying to relate rushing back. I remember thinking, "You lying motherfucker," as I watched that scene on that small B&W TV. Nixon didn't have the balls to tell America he had ordered the invasion until it was over and, fortunately for him, the casualties, as many as there were, were still considered to have been "light" compared to what the upper brass had anticipated.
Hi Kareem,
The quote "The highest form of wisdom is kindness" is a good one as is your quote, "I’d rather be kind than to have read all of Shakespeare. On the other hand, having read Shakespeare has helped make me kind."
The Jewish quote you may be thinking of comes from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel: "When I was young I admired clever people. Now that I'm old, I admire kind people."
robertsdavidn.substack.com/about
In commemoration of 9/11, I’ve been thinking a lot this morning about my cousin Jane who went down in the towers. Recognizing the necessity of kindness in the world is a perfect antidote. Thank you, Kareem, and your uplifting videos. Jazz and tap for breakfast!
I think, if I remember the Vietnam PBS series correctly, the National Guard troops at Kent State received live ammunition that they weren’t supposed to be using on protestors (or weren’t trained to use). And truly, why shoot live ammo at a crowd of people? I worked (volunteer) for a while for one of the people injured at Kent State. He was nowhere near the demonstration; just walking to class across a parking lot, hundreds of yards away from the scene, when a stray bullet caught him barely an inch from his spine and then blew out part of his face. He had one heck of a time getting the government to pay his bills.
On a different note, so nice to see Sammy Davis Jr. I have always been amazed by his talent, and so sorry for how he was treated in the army and by JFK (not inviting him to the inauguration because his wife was white). Sammy deserved so much more respect than he received.
Also: Charles Dickens; "A loving heart is the truest wisdom."
I liked all of it, but the fork story was completely new to me. Thank you.
Usually when I comment it’s about how much I love your logical take on important subjects, but actually, I am a film teacher by trade, so today, I’m just excited that you mentioned one of my favorite movies of the year, maybe my absolute favorite movie of the year, Bottoms! I keep telling people to see this movie, it’s like they took the movie, ‘Heathers’ and mixed it with ‘Better Off Dead’, and threw in a little bit of subversive John Hughes like stuff- the best of the 80s teen flicks - and then put in modern sensibility. It is so funny and unexpectedly so - I can’t wait for more people to discover it! So much has been said about the lack of comedy movies lately, but I sure hope movies like this continue to come out in the future!
Reminds me of a quote (purportedly) from the Dalai Lama: "Be kind as often as possible. It's always possible."
Always.
"Absolutism" is a sham argument. It's a stealth cover, cloaked in a notion of purity and intent. An armed and well-regulated militia populated by private citizens is no more, which was the justification for gun ownership. How do absolutists maneuver around the despicable human chattel provision in the Constitution that counts slaves as 3/5 a person for the US census yet denies the right to vote to all but property owning white men? Separation of Church and State -- that's pretty clear in the Constitution, but conveniently ignored. I'm so, so tired of the hypocrisy.
Amazing again, Kareem. "...those who embrace logic and those who don’t." Regarding divisiveness - another great quote I love is from General Norman Schwarzkopf. "Wars don't start because someone is right and someone is wrong. Wars start because someone is right and someone is right."