Mr. Daniel Grey, B.A. Historical past, 2019, The College of Washington
I spoke with my good good friend Daniel Grey yesterday for about 2 hours yesterday and as standard, speaking with him all the time makes me really feel higher and enriches my life. He’s really one of many most interesting individuals I’ve ever identified.
I taught college philosophy at numerous establishments for thirty years from 1987 – 2017. In that point I had between 8,000 and 10,000 college students. Of all these college students—unhappy to say—I bear in mind solely about 25 of them rather well.
And of these, there are solely two with whom I nonetheless have common contact. (That is partly on account of the truth that we’ve got moved across the nation.) One is my son-in-law who took two of my lessons at UT-Austin the place he met my daughter. The opposite is a younger man I met whereas instructing briefly at Shoreline Neighborhood School close to Seattle. Within the ensuing years, we’ve got change into good mates and recurrently get collectively. (He’s pictured above at his commencement from The College of Washington.)
A couple of years in the past I wrote him a congratulatory electronic mail which he humbly described as “in regards to the nicest factor anybody has ever written or mentioned to me.” That could be true however it’s almost unattainable to not love Daniel. He’s a person of mental and ethical advantage—possessing each a cautious and conscientious thoughts in addition to a humble and honorable soul. He’s the epitome of braveness. In brief, he is among the “good guys” on this world. Right here is my letter:
June 14, 2019
Expensive Daniel:
Congratulations! The highway to your diploma was way more troublesome for you than for a lot of others—simply attending to class is hard for you. Try to be proud.
I nonetheless bear in mind seeing you wheel via the door of room (about) 1812 at Shoreline CC about eight years in the past. You caught out—being late, and as tall sitting as I’m standing—and also you had an enormous smile in your face. You cracked some joke shortly thereafter and I believed—I like this man! A really clear reminiscence. I believed I had loads to show Daniel, little did I do know he had loads to show me.
Daniel, you’re a world-class human being, one of many few such individuals I’ve ever identified. Think about what number of individuals search nothing however cash or fame or energy, when you largely search knowledge and reality and love.
And whereas I’m positive life is hard on you in methods I can’t think about, you by no means whine, complain, or bemoan. You might have discovered the Stoics’ secret to happiness—not getting what you need however wanting what you get. And that is in a world the place individuals who have all of it are continuously dissatisfied. They’re wealthy however need to be richer, highly effective however need extra energy, and well-known however not well-known sufficient. They’re fortunate sufficient to play golf beneath blue skies however then complain that the spherical is just too gradual; they purchase the most costly issues however are dissatisfied with them.
Let me simply say that a number of the most memorable occasions I’ve had in the previous few years have been after we motored round your neighborhood and I attempted to maintain up whereas listening to your jokes. And thanks too for listening to an previous retired philosophy professor hold forth—one thing he actually misses doing! You all the time let me babble on about one thing silly with out interruption. I’m so garrulous!
And let me additionally say that irrespective of how painful and tragic and meaningless life is, you’re a shining star in all this insanity. Understanding you has been an amazing privilege, and one of many issues which have made my very own life value residing. You make what Joseph Campbell known as, the hero’s journey. You might be, like Dicken’s Copperfield, the hero of your personal life. And you’ve got enriched mine greater than you already know.
Lastly let me say, Daniel, as Plato did of his beloved good friend Socrates, that you’re of all these I’ve identified one among “the perfect and wisest and most simply.”
with my deepest affection,
with my most fervent needs on your future well being and happiness,
I stay,
as ever,
your good friend,
Dr. J
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