One of the unexpected pleasures of this campaign has been connecting with old friends from high school, college, law school and from my first jobs in the law. Some I have not seen or communicated with in years but the ease with which we have picked up where we left off makes me realize how fortunate I have been in friendship. The common thread that seems to unite my friends is a quality of kindness which is a quality I value more and more as I get older. Not in the sentimental sense of being "nice" but in the original sense of word, of being "kin." It seems to me that the basis of most moral teaching is simply the recognition of our kinship with one another and the obligation that that imposes upon us to treat each other -- and for that matter, all sentient beings -- justly and compassionately. This also seems to me to be the moral basis of those strains in the law that fall within the rubric of equal protection; all are equal before the law because in some sense all are equally members of the human family. Friendship is another recognition of our kinship and I have been fortunate that, when I left home at 17 and threw myself in a world that home had not prepared me for, I met so many sisters and brothers.
The poet Yeats says it best: Think where man's glory most begins and ends, And say my glory was that I had such friends.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hey Michael:
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays! I see people are following your blog - how come no one is commenting on your posts? I like your thoughts but I was wondering about the election. How is the campaign going? Are you meeting your goals? Do you have a team assembled? Are friends helping out? Best wishes for a healthy and successful new year!