Kindergarten & Eleanor

Perhaps some remember the book "Everything I needed to know I learned in kindergarten"

Good — The lessons stressed in kindergarten seem important in these polarized times. I never got them firsthand.

Very Good — Amidst my new format with 2-3 SHORT topics a week, my Non-Fiction History book club returns after a long hiatus with Eleanor by David Michaelis

Kindergarten seems like a blast

Clickbait is King

In my most recent post, I noted an OVERWHELMING number of you who chose to click the link to explore your primal drivers! I would feel bad for the manipulation if not for the amazing number of you who reached out separately to tell me what you thought of the test. My favorite shares were from people “too busy” so they opted for the short or medium version of the test. I assume some of you are still using a Franklin Day Planner and contemplating what to do with your 10,080 minutes this week and hence didn’t have time for the long quiz. For those that missed it or (like many of you) resist CLICKING at all costs, here is another shot at the survey without having to read the old post. If you wish to know what all of my writing and listening steers me toward because of web advertising, here is the original story I could not resist from Scientific American. Since the study originates at the University of Pennsylvania, I will refer to it as Ivy League clickbait. Can you resist exploring the 26 primal beliefs? Even better if you just want to tell me it is all bunk.

Kindergarten Talk

Today’s subtitle was considered great advice when it was printed in 2004 by Robert Fulghum. I never read the book, fearing it might be right. You see, when I turned five, Mom thought me sufficiently precocious to send me to 1st grade instead. Years later, while school was always enjoyable for me, my older brother always advised “common sense is not a common thing” implying I might have missed out. Perhaps it is one of the many critical lessons of kindergarten I would have benefited from. I blame this early intervention on my still lacking capacity to draw and color.

There are all kinds of intelligence and while I may have gotten some of a certain type, I am sure I would not have survived in this world if not for the broad mixture of all kinds of intelligence which was showered upon my wife C. If not for that constant guidance and sensibility I have grave doubts about the path to today. When I observe the next generation reflected in our three sons I am so grateful for the genetic lottery which splits the difference and results in a wonderful mixture of two people, perhaps akin to what the Cajuns refer to as a nice gumbo.

As life has slowed down and pivoted, I have explored all that makes the human condition so amazing and have gained a lot of insight into my inner workings as a result of the exploration. Once you apply yourself to the priority it is amazing what you can learn. With newfound clarity, you can also discover a lot more about yourself and how you tick. If I knew then what I think I know now…

The Woman of the Century

With the subtitle above, I am certainly not burying the lead. My history book club is a gem of an experience. I look forward to the books and the 2nd Tuesday of each month. I go out of my way to NOT READ reviews of our books so I might be unclouded in my thoughts. When I finish I often get a flavor from reviews. I read the book of the month on my Kindle with a renewed commitment to electronic books. The print version is 720 pages and the electronic version requires a lot of swiping. The book covers an amazing amount of ground. When I finished it I explored and found the acclaimed three-volume biography of Eleanor nears 2000 pages and only explores her death on the final two pages! This is an epic story of a life so full of twists, turns, and transformations of the world at the hands of a First Lady who creates a blueprint for what is possible. In 250 years, before and since, I doubt any First Lady has imprinted a greater legacy than Eleanor Roosevelt.

When I attached this book cover photo I was struck by the BREADTH of experience encompassed in Eleanor Roosevelt’s life! Visiting wounded and recuperating troops in the Pacific theatre. Supportive visits to miners in West Virginia in a coal vein. Making the United Nations a reality. What a life!

Note To Rosemount History Book Club Members — Book clubs thrive on cooperation. I was a bit down after the last get-together as I examined the just completed meeting. When we review the books, all who took the time to attend are ENTITLED to have their voice heard. I talked WAY TOO LONG and DEPRIVED those that followed as a result. I will bring an electronic egg timer going forward and keep my comments to 2-3 minutes from now on. See you all next month!

The author manages to delve into the whole story from 1884 through 1962 including the aspects generations of folks have been satisfied to bury for a long time. What we also gain from this book is not gossip but a more fluid truth and complexity of our very first modern First Lady. Disability, homosexuality, and fluidity in relationships were buried in the era. My sense and opinion are the things we bury do enormous damage. I think some, even today, would rather we “just not talk about it”. Repression CULTIVATES misunderstanding. It is part of this important story and thanks to the author for writing about it in context. I think Michaelis handles this well and weaves it in as an important part of the story. I come away from the book with great admiration for Eleanor. Yeah, she harbored all sorts of bias when she was young. She grew up in an abusive and unloving environment. The emergence of her character and how her imperfection, perhaps in appearance and attitude rubbed others the wrong way. There are many books I finish wherein the length is questionable. I think Michaelis does an admirable job framing Eleanor Roosevelt in the space he manages.

When you read a lot of history books a trend for humans emerges. Upon the appearance of change and a breakthrough, the pushback to the “good old days” is what humans do. When I ponder the stream of subsequent Presidential wives, the visceral hatred heaped on Eleanor by her opponents meant from Mrs. Eisenhower through Barbara Bush were all pressured to toe the line of stay in your lane. Not so different than the Emancipation in 1863 and 100 years of violence and misery until the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Change is hard.

I have repeated my opinion several times in the club about the legacy of FDR. My sense is when times are dire, life is at an inflection, and people choose a dictator. I think that is what is going on in the world right now and while we hope for the best choice, there are no guarantees. To me in the shadow of the 1929 crash and the Great Depression, America did just that. Was FDR unsullied? Of course not. What the period teaches us is Mussolini, Hitler, Tojo, Mao's rise to power and Bolshevism entrenches itself. America chose a dictator like everyone else and our choice had positive consequences for the whole world. I know some people “hate FDR and Eleanor” but the choice in context was Hoover and probably isolationism. The world emerged as a better place. This book puts a sharp point on the shortcomings of FDR and you cannot help but conclude the transformation of America into a more perfect union should heap praise on Eleanor Roosevelt. She had a nearly infinite capacity to embrace a challenge, study a problem, and empathize with suffering. Each time I read and learn more about the error, I heap less and less praise on FDR and more on the people who surrounded him including his wife.

Her thirst for making a difference did not end with the Presidency. Her role in the shaping and emergence of the United Nations is a great reminder. The author shares the observation of her receiving a standing ovation from every nation! In an institution hewn of compromise and dysfunction, it is inconceivable to imagine unanimity for anyone.

The greater club was split on the book. A handful of us heaped high praise but a fair subset thought the writing disjointed and ponderous at times. I think in the period since 1945 when FDR died, perhaps Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama are the only First Lady who deigned to step out of line and focus beyond the White House Christmas decorations. Change requires people to knock insistently and sometimes kick in the door. Those in power like the good old days. Times will change only when we force their hand. I rated the book 10/10. There was a handful who did the same. I think the book settled to an average of 8.2 across 16 reviewers. Consistent with my conclusion of 100 years ahead of her time, Eleanor Roosevelt is the American woman of the century in my opinion. It is not surprising to me to observe the usual suspects being offensive in their attacks on both Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama (lots of ad-hominem personal nonsense). At least today, those that step out of line are not so lonely. Support and acceptance are changing. How much longer must we wait? What are people so afraid of?

There is a lot of material available that provides context to Eleanor Roosevelt’s life and contributions over a lifetime. For those unsure about committing to a long book, I encourage you to seek out some retrospectives on PBS or YouTube. These seem the only place in the modern world to get a long view of people who have shaped our lives beyond a book.

The Poll & Music

For the record, Franklin and Eleanor were related and were officially 5th cousins. This is not close by any stretch. On average, they would share 0.05% of their DNA or 1 in 2000 parts. In a tribute to HOW STUBBORN change is, all 50 states allow 2nd cousins to marry and about half allow 1st cousins to marry. According to Wikipedia (what topics don’t exist?), “It was estimated in 1960 that 0.2% of all marriages between Roman Catholics were between first or second cousins, but no recent nationwide studies have been performed.” Think about this the next time you go to an NFL game. With 60,000 in the stands, about 120 are or are destined to marry or already have married a 1st or 2nd cousin. No wonder face painting is a thing! I was glad I read this sitting down. This sort of observation shakes my faith in the utility of a standup desk.

For those of you who don’t recognize SATIRE at a glance, today’s poll is tongue-in-cheek. I think it is an end-run so we might pause and reflect on what we believe and why. Freedom should focus on allowing people to make their own choices and only intervene when others are hurt, not because we disagree or are uncomfortable. Think about it.

Isn’t a bit of perspective wonderful? My butchered version of a Ben Franklin quote comes to mind. If you love life then you love time, for that is what life is made of. Why do some people spend THEIR time and focus fighting amidst the culture wars? Think about it the next time someone lectures us all about the dangers of some relationships we must just be “saved from”. I am sure the 2024 election will foster concerns about all sorts of relationships. I am sure we will be guided society will crumble without the “thoughtful” leadership of people to “save us from these existential” risks.

I imagine kindergarten can be the beginning of some lifetime friendships. Here is one of my favorite songs about the importance of friendships and how they are so important at times in our lives. When the song was released, Vice President Spiro Agnew led an effort to boycott the song because it promoted drug use. Enjoy the song, channel Spiro Agnew (Nixon’s sidekick), and remember he later resigned due to tax evasion charges.