Image via WikipediaI enjoyed your essay on your political awakening. Very insightful and informative. I woke up in the 60's after the JFK assassination, got involved in a minor way in NY politics, women's movement, etc. I began to read more and learn more history which I had sort of elided in an incomplete education. I really didn't get back into it until I got sober, when I began to read a lot more and had a burning desire to go back to school, which history you now know all about. But you have come a long way in a short time, and I accept your political leanings. I share some of them, never having ever lost my newspaper background, i.e., skepticism about agendas, etc. I hope your emotional reactions which sometime lead you to some pretty ugly outbursts, will tone down as you become more exposed to different views. You already know that life is not fair, people may be or strive to, but the random nature of the human experience is out of our control and the best we can do is to do the best we can, and acknowledge that the disappointments we experience are part of the greater scheme, just as are the wondrous moments we sometimes come across that keep us going. Moderation in most things, passionate about some, with grace under pressure being the ideal goal, will see us through most of the blind alleys and rough going. In any case, I'm glad you shared some details of your political development with me. You've got a fine mind and you should let ideas percolate in it.
Love,
Dad
