I am reading a book with my church staff about the “Me Generation.” It is a study, with some very funny sharp opinions, about our current generation. There are some very admirable things about this current generation. One thing I was admittedly surprised about was they seem to have high goals. The downside is they don’t seem to want to work for them. AND, it’s about notoriety. It’s about the 15 minutes of fame and the American Idol mystique.
This article about Supreme Court Justice Byron White is superb. He was incredibly skilled as an athlete AND a scholar. He was also a WWII hero.
He also hated fame. His actions as a WWII hero were enough to gain him incredible fame. Add to that his accomplishments as a football player in his era, and then on top of that his incredible intellect… and he simply avoided the media. What was wrong with that guy?
It’s a great story and a great lesson. Enjoy.
I really like this clip from the article.
“His strongly pragmatic and non-ideological approach, in which he decided every ruling on a case by case, fact by fact basis, was criticized by those who felt he lacked an overarching philosophy. Indeed, his rulings at first glance seem all over the political spectrum, but each was guided by his deep convictions on the Constitution and the role of the Judiciary; convictions he did not think could be classified in tidy boxes. He thus abhorred both “thinking by labels” and being given one.”
If only politicians and justices would follow that kind of conviction today.
What I find so admirable about his life is his refusal for the limelight. Just astounding.