SAVE YOUR OWN SAILOR SUIT . . . or . . .

     The house was ablaze beyond control.  In the early 1930's, Clarence Emory Williams and his older brother, Alton, each had little boy sailor uniforms that at first glance were indistinguishable.  Sensing that his prize outfit was imperiled, Clarence Emory dashed into the house to the bedroom that he and his brother shared and retrieved a uniform from the closet.  Once outside, he realized that it was not his outfit that he had rescued. Back inside he went, hung that sailor suit back into the closet, grabbed his and hastily exited the burning structure.

    Allowing for child-like immaturity and fear in this true story  (often repeated by my mom), it can still be a microcosm of an attitude that currently prevails . . . "I have mine; you're on your own !"

    David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, recently wrote The Road to Character in which he compared  "Resume Virtues" and "Eulogy Virtues". The former is a highly individualistic, "looking out for # 1" extolling of the "self made person".  The latter incorporates an awareness of and appreciation for "our being in this together".  Individuals and societies are both composites of the two; however, Brooks insists that a huge imbalance currently prevails with a large tilt towards self-centeredness.  Allowed to persist and prevail, the imbalance carries the probable dissolution of the notion of community, as well as long-venerated virtues such as kindness, compassion, caring for the marginalized and the stranger. (The book is too rich and nuanced to be encapsulated in this post. It is not an "easy" or "quick" read but certainly a worthy undertaking. Bill Gates wrote a succinct review.  Google his review.)

    When the "Founding Fathers"  had affixed their signatures to The Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin observed, "Gentlemen, we now hang together or we shall hang separately." . . . somewhat akin to recognizing that both our 'sailor suits' are our concern.

    Satchel