It’s February 8th, 2023, and I feel lucky. 100 years ago, diabetes was a death sentence but I’m alive. 50 years ago, if you had Afib, chances were good that you would die of a stoke or worse, live past a serious one. But, I’m alive with no more Afib because in 1980, doctors discovered that they could put a catheter into your heart and deaden the nerves causing the problem. I’ve won the greatest prize in the universe: extra days/months/years to live. Today we have the opportunity to celebrate Boy Scouts Day, Laugh and Get Rich Day, National Kit Flying Day, National Molasses Bar Day, Opera Day, and Propose Day. Now a few historical footnotes to provide some context to human civilization: On this day in 1587 Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded in a single stoke of the axe at the age of 44. On this day in 1600 the Vatican convicted Friar Giordano Bruno to being burnt at the stake for believing in an infinite universe. On this day in 1883 Louis Waterman began experimenting to invent the fountain pen. On this day in 1887 the Dawes Act authorized the US to survey Native American tribal land and divide it into individual allotments. Those Native Americans who accepted their allotment and lived separately from their tribe were granted US citizenship. On this day in 1898 the patent was issued for the 1st envelope folding and gumming machine. On this day in 1920 Swiss men vote against women’s suffrage. On this day in 1942 Congress advises FDR that Americans of Japanese descent should be locked up en masse so they wouldn’t oppose the US war effort. Today’s advice from a dead person comes from Iris Murdoch who was an Irish novelist and philosopher. Iris said, “We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality.” “Happiness is a matter of one’s most ordinary everyday mode of consciousness being busy and lively and unconcerned with self.” “One should go easy on smashing other people’s lies. Better to concentrate on one’s own.” I’ll end with this gem for you to think about: “Socrates wrote nothing, Christ wrote nothing.” Iris tends to be dark but remember that she’s Irish and that’s an attitude shared by most Irish writers. Enough. I’m going to enjoy my day. Abide.
