2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Count Down [View all]You are bringing back some interesting memories here! This might not be directly related to your point in this post, but I think there's a connection.
Years ago, towards the end of a local public presentation, Governor Mario Cuomo sought me out for a private conversation. We discussed a case involving Native American burial protection. A local newspaper reporter saw the Governor approach me, and had listened in from a distance that allowed him to pick up on the general topic.
The next day, that private meeting was included in the front-page article about Governor Cuomo's visit. At work, a fellow who I had considered a friend -- a casual friend, not a close friend -- felt the urge to say some bitter and nasty things about me .....both to my face, and behind my back. I was a bit taken back, because I have never considered myself to be "important," and certainly not in the manner this guy was saying. His bitterness wasn't my problem: he owned it.
That evening, my younger son, then in grade school, told me that he had "realized something interesting" that day in one of his classes. He told me that he had always assumed that all of his friends' fathers were frequently featured in the newspapers and televised news. But, that day, he realized that it was just his father who was.
Funny how different people react or respond to such things.