respect for what others don't have

One last excerpt from Why We Hate Us. This section actually reminds me of another book, which, if read alongside WWHU, would make an interesting contrast. For all the complaints and arguments the author brings up in WWHU, I found his final suggestions a little unmotivating. I understand that he's acknowledging that there's little we can do other than change ourselves -- so he's striving to be humble and realistic. But beyond that, there's an image of a result that is incredibly motivating, and I think this story illustrates it well.

It also feels supportive of Donald Miller's premise -- that the story we tell with our lives shapes the characters we become, and vice versa.

Yay for a good story!

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"I have a friend who is a serious poker player. He plays in tournaments with pros and in the World Series of Poker every year. He is a passionate student of the game. He reads about poker and writes about poker. He takes notes while he plays and studies his notes later. He loves it. My kids refer to him as "Poker Man."

Poker Man is also an enormously successful attorney. He has won some very large cases and has even been on the good guys' side. Financially, he has done well. Every year Poker Man organizes a syndicate of "investors" to back him. He raises money from them to pay tournament entry fees. If he wins, they win. If he loses, they lose. Over the course of a full year, they have always won. Poker Man keeps scrupulous records and writes his investors detailed dispatches from the tables.

At lunch one day, I asked my friend why he bothered with the investors. The tournament fees were chump change for Poker Man. In his worst year imaginable, he wouldn't lose enough to make a dent in his finances.

Poker Man had an easy answer. "In my family, we have too much respect for what others don't have to do that with our money," he said. His demeanor and cadence were totally devoid of sanctimony and preaching, two qualities I too often exude. It was a simple statement of fact."

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(I meant to continue this excerpt a little further, but already returned my borrowed copy! I like how he says "In my family..." The author pointed out that Poker Man sees his resources as belonging to his whole family -- including his kids -- and he includes them as responsible partners in choosing what to do with it. This reminds me a bit of Mr. Bob in A Million Miles in a Thousand Years -- coolest person ever.)

While all these books are jumping around in my mind -- here's a list! There are a lot of synergies between them:

Why We Hate Us: American Discontent in the New Millennium, by Dick Meyer (a journalist looks at American culture and media for clues as to why so many are dissatisfied with their lives in a land of plenty)

Hunting For Hope: A Father's Journeys, by Scott R. Sanders (a father lists what he finds hope in, after his son challenges his pessimistic worldview)

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life, by Donald Miller (a writer is asked to turn his memoir into a movie and learns how the characteristics of a good story also apply to a good life)

Okay, done with all the analysis. For now.