The Best Part

The best part of life is not just surviving, but thriving with passion and compassion and humor and style and generosity and kindness.

—Maya Angelou (1928)

Kafka and the doll

At 40, Franz Kafka (1883-1924),who never married and had no children, walked through the park in Berlin when he met a girl who was crying because she had lost her favourite doll. She and Kafka searched for the doll unsuccessfully. Kafka told her to meet him there the next day and they would come back to look for her. The next day, when they had not yet found the doll, Kafka gave the girl a letter "written" by the doll saying "please don't cry. I took a trip to see the world. I will write to you about my adventures." Thus began a story which continued until the end of Kafka's life. During their meetings, Kafka read the letters of the doll carefully written with adventures and conversations that the girl found adorable. Finally, Kafka brought back the doll (he bought one) that had returned to Berlin. "It doesn't look like my doll at all," said the girl. Kafka handed her another letter in which the doll wrote: "my travels have changed me." the little girl hugged the new doll and brought her happy home. A year later Kafka died. Many years later, the now-adult girl found a letter inside the doll. In the tiny letter signed by Kafka it was written: "Everything you love will probably be lost, but in the end, love will return in another way."

Be as helpful as you can, and be careful.

out-of-office reply from a fellow philosopher:

The pandemic we are living through is a time for moral clarity. It shows us how important a functioning, global, public health system is for all people without class or national distinction. It shows us how interconnected we all are in ways that are more than economic and also what is necessary in an economy. It brings home how important cooperation really is, and it shows us how wrong it is for leaders to use their office for division, misinformation, inaccuracy, lack of accountability, deflection or partiality. Those leaders lead to people like you, me, and our families dying.


Be helpful as you can, and be careful. Reject politics of division, and demand honesty, accuracy, accountability, fairness, and helpfulness from leaders. Stay sober, and let's look for the best in each other as best as we can.

Random act of kindness

While sitting in the Social Security Office waiting (and waiting) for my turn, a random patron stopped and complimented me on my hippie sweater.

It totally made my day.