blogs
Basis for the Blogs
Two years ago, my oldest grandson began asking me to respond to a question each week. In the event any of my progeny living or joining the journey of life later are interested, I thought I would inc ........
Grandson with Questions 25 years ago
Grandson with Questions 25 years ago
Neighborhood of My Youth
Most of the questions my Grandson asked were related to private family matters. I did think it might be interesting to include one that I wrote directly for inclusion in a book called My Life Storie ........
The Bible
My inquiring grandson is a devout Catholic. While all the grandchildren were aware that I did not attend church, they did take note that my familiarity with the Bible was unrivaled in our various ho ........
What were your favorite courses in college?
The course that I enjoyed most was “Analysis of the New Testament” – a course offered in the Divinity Graduate School. For reasons I covered in detail in “Dear Children” I enjoyed the subject-matter ........
How did you get your first job?
Response to a Grandchild I got my first job a few months after my eleventh birthday. It was a newspaper route covering about 2.5 miles with 122 customers. I took the job because Dad could ........
Who was your favorite boss?
If you exclude the array of “bosses” that I had in part-time jobs through college and law school, I have only had five “bosses” in my life – three of whom were at the Cravath law firm. They all had ........
There is much fuss going on about AI. What do you think?
When I was a student in college and was introduced to Carl Jung in a Psychology course, Jung’s theory of a “collective unconscious” seemed impossible to substantiate. At the time he proposed the the ........
Which of history’s political leaders interests you the most and why?
This is a subject that I have afforded little thought since college. I was focused on work and family almost exclusively for 47 years. Certainly, the political figures over the past ten years do not ........
What was it like growing up in the Cold War?
In 1947, I entered the first grade. I do not recall any “drills” related to the potential of a nuclear bomb exploding. Indeed, I was too young to understand conversations about the bombs dropped on ........
How was the Civil War depicted when you were a child?
The first time I recall hearing of the Civil War was at my grandparents’ dinner table. When I was around eight, my paternal grandparents finally allowed me to leave the kitchen – where all the grand ........
Unveiling the Secret Ballot
As I was first introduced to political parties in the Fifties, both parties agreed that racial injustice was the nation's first priority. The mid-Sixties through the early Seventies found little dif ........
Kissinger: A War Criminal?
Lindsey’s reference to Kissinger as a “war criminal” when we last together threw me for a loop. At the time, I simply thought that the more recent generations use the pejorative as a part of casual ........
What has been your favorite reading through the years?
There have been three periods in which my reading has focused on different areas. From nine to seventeen my reading outside schoolwork focused on theology, history, and trial lawyers. Following coll ........
Why were you kicked off Facebook?
Sometime in late 2021 or early 2022, it was suggested that I finally join Facebook and post one of the Letters to the Editor that I had written. We had read many stories of conservative viewpoints b ........
What qualities should we strive to cultivate?
Do women have any qualities that are unique to them? There is only one quality I feel is unique for women to possess as opposed to men – the ability to endure discomfort and pain. The ob ........
What should one strive to accomplish in order to have a fulfilling life?
What is the meaning of life? I am not sure that anyone is qualified to tell another how to live a “fulfilling life.” Do not misunderstand; I feel that I have lived a life that was fulf ........
What qualities should we strive to cultivate? Do women have any qualities that are unique to them?
Responses to a Grandchild There is only one quality I feel is unique for women to possess as opposed to men – the ability to endure discomfort and pain. The obvious difference between me ........
How is life different today compared to when you were a child?
Responses to a Grandchild Imagine a world when there was no television, no computers, no internet, and no cell phones. No, I am not talking about the late 19th century when my grandpa ........
Do you think there is a soul distinct from the body?
This question revealed a puzzle that I had not recognized before. I associated the concept of a soul as relevant only to life after death. By age fifteen, I had come to the determination that life a ........