.
I normally find critiques of his works to make him sound oh so much more impressive than the actually works themselves. Perhaps my own limitations.
.
But he gave a graduation speech this year at Syracuse University that was just reprinted and was beautiful.
.
Here is a LINK to the full speech - and read it if you want to feel better.
.
I expert a snippet below.
.
snip..
.
So here’s something I know to be true, although it’s a little corny, and I don’t quite know what to do with it:
What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.
Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded…sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly.
Or, to look at it from the other end of the telescope: Who, in your life, do you remember most fondly, with the most undeniable feelings of warmth?
Those who were kindest to you, I bet.
It’s a little facile, maybe, and certainly hard to implement, but I’d say, as a goal in life, you could do worse than: Try to be kinder.
..pet
.
I was impressed enough with the speech to give his essays another chance. Try the speech, you'll smile at the end.