"It helps me think better," Fran told me, 20+ years ago, during a lunchtime conversation about some of her reasons for attending church. That's a rather utilitarian justification — but maybe it's also a good one. Frances Lussier (Ph.D. chemist, MIT, aka "Narf" at times to her friends) was a neighbor and co-worker during the early 1980's. She was smart.

Her words came to mind again the other day, when I was reading some of the late George Sheehan's philosophical musings about physical fitness. In Personal Best (1989) Sheehan quotes Herbert Spencer, "If you wish to be a success in this life, you must first be a good animal." And being a good animal, Sheehan goes on to say, is a prerequisite for being a good person.

TopicLife - 2002-06-11

(correlates: ThanksAndAcknowledgements4, TwoYearsLater, DoMeta, ...)