Futurelawyer

#TBT - The Bravest Lawyer In The World.

The Last Iron Lung. Just in case you are one of the people who are anti-vaccination for a pandemic like disease, may I introduce you to Paul Alexander, who has lived in an Iron Lung for over 60 years. While doing so, after being stricken by polio at age six, he went to college, law school and practiced law. At age 74, he is back in the Iron Lung full time, and is still feisty as ever. Ask him whether he would have taken the risk of a vaccine for polio, had it been available. I first wrote about him two years ago today, and still find him an incredible inspiration. He embodies every virtue that a Stoic hero should; he has accepted and conquered the limitations of a horrible disease, and still lives every day to the fullest. Do not whine about your life to him. Thank God you are able to breathe, walk, and live in a relatively healthy way.

Viruses, Asteroids, Hurricanes And Other Disasters, Oh My!

Disaster Resources. Usually, at this time of year, I find my way to the Florida Bar's Legal Fuel page to get prepared for the possibility that my practice will be disrupted by a hurricane with its wind damage, power outages, and other problems. Three years ago, my biggest problem was fitting my extended family in at the office, and sleeping on the floor of my office while hurricane winds mimicking a freight train roared outside. Then, removing spoiled food from the freezer at home, and digging pine branches over six feet long out of the pool wasn't much fun. Moving my family's dogs to the office in the middle of the night wasn't a picnic either. Oh, the good old days. Now, we get to add global pandemic, and a November Asteroid flyby to the mix. The Stoics tell us to prepare for the worst every day. Assume you will die today. Assume that fate will deal you a series of devastating blows. Expect that she will do her worst. That way, you will be mentally prepared for anything. Because, then, the Stoics tell us, you are expected to love that fate. You are expected to revel in it, as if it was exactly what you wanted out of life. When you say it like that, it occurs to me that it might be difficult to stop and smell the roses. Well, get thee to LegalFuel.com, fellow lover of fate. There are some great resources there, in case you want to practice law while you follow the Stoic precepts. Amor Fati.

October, 1972 - The FutureLawyer Became A Lawyer

October, 1972. While browsing the Internet this morning, I came across a website that chronicles all the things, of note, that happened on a given day in history. At the same time, I realized that I have been a practicing lawyer for almost 48 years. I don't feel old, at least in mind and spirit, although the body betrays me occasionally. Is the world different from 1972? In some ways, certainly. But, if you were back there right now, you would still be worrying about war, pestilence, famine, and man's inhumanity to man. Planes were crashing, governments were still touting their assistance to the poor, silly names and titles were being changed (Ms. was introduced into the lexicon), while the substantive reasons for sex discrimination were ignored, people were dying, trains were crashing, innocent schoolchildren were being kidnapped, and I could go on for a while. Why are we so overwrought over things that we can never change, and that we know will continue to happen as long as humans reside on our planet? What good are you doing when you scream, riot, and otherwise vent about social justice, and evil, and all the things that you proudly report you hate? I admit that I have changed nothing about our society in the 48 years I have been part of the process. I would like, however, to believe that I have made some progress as an individual human being. What more is there?

Carpe Diem - Seize The Day

Good friend, Bob Burguieres, posts on Facebook today, and reminds us of the need to live each day to the fullest. The Herrick poem, To The Virgins, To Make Much Of Time, is an early exposition of the philosophy, stemming from the Ancient Greeks:

Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may,
    Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to day,
    To morrow will be dying.

The glorious Lamp of Heaven, the Sun,
    The higher he's a getting;
The sooner will his Race be run,
    And neerer he's to Setting.

That Age is best, which is the first,
    When Youth and Blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
    Times, still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time;
    And while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
    You may forever tarry.^[1]

^{I suspect that Herrick was just trying to bed a girl; but, the principle applies across human actions. Don't wait to live your life. Don't ask permission of someone else to be who you are. Never fear the consequences of a decision, even one made in haste. Soon enough, there will be no consequences at all.} 

Stoic Response Of The Day - Steve Jobs On Why You Can't Please Everybody

In 1998, Steve Jobs had returned to Apple after a 7 year hiatus, and was trying to get the company back on a profitable basis. He was making decisions that angered some people, and got a nasty question about it at a conference. His reply is a masterwork in Stoicism. You can't please everyone all the time. It is not rational to try. You have no control over the opinions of others, only over yourself. He also makes no excuses for his ignorance in some things, nor mistakes he has made. Anyone who knows (or lives with) me knows what Rick's Number One Rule is: No Excuses. Watch and learn, grasshopper:

 

Slobbing For A Time In St. Petersburg

 I first read Travels With Charley in college. Since then, I have tried to live my life with a healthy dose of Steinbeck like voraciousness. As an overachiever in high school, it never occurred to me that laziness and lack of movement towards a goal were sometimes noteworthy accomplishments. Steinbeck changed my mind. Like him, I tend to overindulge in whatever activity I find myself, including lack of activity. Today seems to be one of those days. Thanks to my understanding spouse, I have no one nagging me to change. She is a unique woman indeed. So, raise a glass to Steinbeck, and smoke that cigar. You don't have an infinite number of opportunities left.

“I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness. I've lifted, pulled, chopped, climbed, made love with joy and taken my hangovers as a consequence, not as a punishment.”
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

No New Thing Under The Sun

Time Is A Flat Circle. Marcus Aurelius would not likely be compared to the early Christians. But, some philosophical truths span the centuries. One of the most important is the recognition that human history doesn't really change much. Sure, the tools change, the tech changes, the manner of dress changes; but, human weaknesses, foibles and inclinations don't. This article surmises that Marcus would have agreed with the passage in Ecclesiastes:

“The thing that hath been,” we read in one part, “it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” In another: “The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.” In another: “That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.”

When I get caught up in the passions of the day (right now, I am railing about free speech and the violence of those who are trying to curb it), I sometimes forget that this has all happened before, and will again. This is why we should be even tempered about what we perceive to be good things, as well as bad things. Good football coaches know this. They counsel their teams not to be upset by defeat, nor over confident about victory. Vince Lombardi called it a striving for excellence at all times. “Winning is not a sometime thing…it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while…you don't do the right thing once in a while…you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit.” He wasn't talking about the score of the game. He was talking about excellence regardless of the situation. We have seen political upheaval and plagues before. Our descendants will see them again. I am reminded to temper my passions about current problems, and concentrate on wisdom, morality, courage, and moderation, the principal virtues. 

Philosophy For Pandemics

If there were ever a time for us to become aware of Stoic philosophy, it is now. Everything that is happening now, from pandemic to political upheaval to rioting in the streets, has happened before; and, if the world continues, will happen again. The Stoic idea embodied in the Latin phrase, Memento Mori, acknowledges that death is the only certainty. What we do now, each of us, is the only thing we control. What better time to remind ourselves that today is it, than a time when all around us seems to be falling apart? It is easy to live in the promise of the future, or wallow in the pain of the past. It is harder to know that those things can only harm our moments. Remember, you will die. You don't know when, or how. So, for today, don't cower in utter fear in some corner, somewhere. Breathe, eat, pray, love, wonder, exist, help, sleep, and perhaps fate will give you another day to do it again. Oh, I am adding to my pandemic mask collection. What to wear? What to wear? 

 

It's Monday - Do You Know Where The FutureLawyer Is?

I recommend that, going forth, Monday mornings have the burden of proof, beyond, and to the exclusion of, a reasonable doubt. They must prove they are worthy of our attention and participation. This rule shall be effective, as of today. No vote is necessary, as it is an Executive Order. Carry on.

What, Me Worry?

This is a great quote from Epicurus, that was posted to my Stoic site. It reminds me of the "is that a good thing or a bad thing" story. What are you worried about? Do you fear death?