I thoroughly enjoyed this article, from start to finish. And identified with it in many ways, both in the breadth of your interests but also in our overlaps (biology, psychology, philosophy.) You have not been afraid to self-actualize, to do the things that you wanted to, in the service of understanding things and yourself more deeply, and later in the "service component". That surely is the path most guaranteed to lead to fulfillment and contentment.
I sent your article to an old friend of mine from my college days at Reed College, in the early '60s. He liked it tremendously too and remarked that you could have been a Reedie! Not everyone there was bold in this way, but many of us were, which helped make it a super-interesting place.
The one thing about your article that made me a little sad was its seeming valedictory tone, as if perhaps this might be your last? You did not say that explicitly but it sort of felt that way. I hope not! Would be glad to read many more from you.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful comment... It meant a lot to me! I just opened up your link on my browser and will read your post a little later today! My very best to you and yours, Frederick. P.S. Please do keep in touch...
How refreshing to see how one piece of the natural world transformed someone's life......no agonizing psychodrama, no exegesis of a person's problems, no attempt to explain the universe...just a personal reaction to forming a relationship with the natural world. much appreciated !
This is incredibly lovely. As another academic (trained in history but now working in what was once called women studies), I’d be curious if you’ve got a link for your radio interview. I’ve lived in Ohio for more than 20 years but I don’t recall coming across your interview.
Thank you so much for your kind comment. It means a lot to me. Unfortunately, I don't have a link to the interview. I tried to find a reference to it but could not. I gave the interview when I taught for a couple of years at Denison University in Granville. They arranged the interview but this was before the ubiquity of social media and the like. (YouTube has only been around since 2005!) And, although I hate to say it, it was a bit more than 20 years ago… It's hard to believe that so many years have gone by. I still feel like I'm 35... my students and 23 year old son keep me young, I guess... and there is still so much more to do in life... Thank you again, Frederick
Thanks, Frederick! It was a treat to have had this come into my inbox. I really enjoyed it. I must admit, I've seen some wonderful mantids, myself.
I hope you don't mind my saying this, but when your article showed up in my inbox, there was no name showing. Would it be possible for you to let us know your name at the top of the article. It would be great for those of us, who are new to your writings.
I did see it finally in a reply to a comment, below.
Thank you very much for the kind comment! It means a lot to me, indeed. And thanks for letting me know about the name… That's odd, it should be there. I'll check right now. Again, thank you so very much, Frederick
Thank you for the kind and thoughtful comment. And, what a fascinating, mutually supportive arrangement you all share. There is a joy — and profound emotional and spiritual freedom — that comes from commitment to other people. I am reminded of Lovelace's poem... the last stanza of which reads:
"Stone Walls do not a Prison make,
Nor Iron bars a Cage;
Minds innocent and quiet take
That for an Hermitage.
If I have freedom in my Love,
And in my soul am free,
Angels alone that soar above,
Enjoy such Liberty."
I am sure that you cherish each moment of companionship. That, in the end, is all that we have of value. Sincerely, Frederick
P.S. I came back to this comment to add one more thought. I find it saddening — if not tragic — that so few people nowadays recognize the spiritual and emotional support that committed relationships provide. We live in an age when too many people think being independent, being on one's own, being able to do whatever you want at any time you want are the ultimate freedoms. It just isn't so, and literally millennia of writers have testified to that fact. Much ink has been spilled recently discussing the new glorification of independence, the joy of divorce, and the elevation of momentary 'feelings' above intellectual and spiritual commitment. It does not bode well for us as a people. Unfortunately, our need to satisfy our momentary urges and make decisions based on "how we feel" at the moment — without any appreciation of how our behaviors affect those around us — interacting with our inability to reach compromises within a relationship are synergistic. And, it is one epidemic that affects all age demographics... but it becomes more virulent as we age.
So, my friend, I respect and admire — and, perhaps, envy — the mutual commitment you share with your companions. I sincerely hope that you all have long and joyous lives. Most sincerely, Frederick
I have great admiration for you and others like you who are immensely curious, intelligent, creative, and also, as you said, quite rare. Not all of them turn their intellect to good use, but you have because you also have a caring heart. ❤️
I thoroughly enjoyed this article, from start to finish. And identified with it in many ways, both in the breadth of your interests but also in our overlaps (biology, psychology, philosophy.) You have not been afraid to self-actualize, to do the things that you wanted to, in the service of understanding things and yourself more deeply, and later in the "service component". That surely is the path most guaranteed to lead to fulfillment and contentment.
I sent your article to an old friend of mine from my college days at Reed College, in the early '60s. He liked it tremendously too and remarked that you could have been a Reedie! Not everyone there was bold in this way, but many of us were, which helped make it a super-interesting place.
As you know from an earlier comment of mine, I am doing a Substack newsletter much in the spirit of yours, called BioBuzz. In three of my articles so far, I have talked a little about my own path. In the latest (https://open.substack.com/pub/adamwilkins/p/on-thinking-about-things-in-physics?r=n0hre&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false), I discussed how my brother and I both went into science but that our interests were so different and how that must have been rooted in different temperaments.
The one thing about your article that made me a little sad was its seeming valedictory tone, as if perhaps this might be your last? You did not say that explicitly but it sort of felt that way. I hope not! Would be glad to read many more from you.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful comment... It meant a lot to me! I just opened up your link on my browser and will read your post a little later today! My very best to you and yours, Frederick. P.S. Please do keep in touch...
Fascinating stuff! I’m helping a biologist, Adam Wilkins, who lives in Berlin and has his own SubStack, BioBuzz, exploring similar subjects. You might want to check it out: https://open.substack.com/pub/adamwilkins/p/on-thinking-about-things-in-physics?r=2svg7&utm_medium=ios
Thanks... I get his posts!
Beautiful life story; beautifully written!
Thank you very much for your kind comment....
How refreshing to see how one piece of the natural world transformed someone's life......no agonizing psychodrama, no exegesis of a person's problems, no attempt to explain the universe...just a personal reaction to forming a relationship with the natural world. much appreciated !
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment....
This is incredibly lovely. As another academic (trained in history but now working in what was once called women studies), I’d be curious if you’ve got a link for your radio interview. I’ve lived in Ohio for more than 20 years but I don’t recall coming across your interview.
Thank you so much for your kind comment. It means a lot to me. Unfortunately, I don't have a link to the interview. I tried to find a reference to it but could not. I gave the interview when I taught for a couple of years at Denison University in Granville. They arranged the interview but this was before the ubiquity of social media and the like. (YouTube has only been around since 2005!) And, although I hate to say it, it was a bit more than 20 years ago… It's hard to believe that so many years have gone by. I still feel like I'm 35... my students and 23 year old son keep me young, I guess... and there is still so much more to do in life... Thank you again, Frederick
Thanks, Frederick! It was a treat to have had this come into my inbox. I really enjoyed it. I must admit, I've seen some wonderful mantids, myself.
I hope you don't mind my saying this, but when your article showed up in my inbox, there was no name showing. Would it be possible for you to let us know your name at the top of the article. It would be great for those of us, who are new to your writings.
I did see it finally in a reply to a comment, below.
OK... got it... There's a setting for "show byline on post"... I didn't know that before you pointed it out to me... thanks again!
Thank you very much for the kind comment! It means a lot to me, indeed. And thanks for letting me know about the name… That's odd, it should be there. I'll check right now. Again, thank you so very much, Frederick
What a beautiful life story. So many insughts, so modest, so human.
As a mildly nutty 84 year old, I think I understand,
I? I'm the man element in a quad with three older women, one disabled, and all of us just gettin' by...
I can fix things, cook and drive. Mostly I read the good stuff on the screen.
This was one of them.
Thank you for the kind and thoughtful comment. And, what a fascinating, mutually supportive arrangement you all share. There is a joy — and profound emotional and spiritual freedom — that comes from commitment to other people. I am reminded of Lovelace's poem... the last stanza of which reads:
"Stone Walls do not a Prison make,
Nor Iron bars a Cage;
Minds innocent and quiet take
That for an Hermitage.
If I have freedom in my Love,
And in my soul am free,
Angels alone that soar above,
Enjoy such Liberty."
I am sure that you cherish each moment of companionship. That, in the end, is all that we have of value. Sincerely, Frederick
P.S. I came back to this comment to add one more thought. I find it saddening — if not tragic — that so few people nowadays recognize the spiritual and emotional support that committed relationships provide. We live in an age when too many people think being independent, being on one's own, being able to do whatever you want at any time you want are the ultimate freedoms. It just isn't so, and literally millennia of writers have testified to that fact. Much ink has been spilled recently discussing the new glorification of independence, the joy of divorce, and the elevation of momentary 'feelings' above intellectual and spiritual commitment. It does not bode well for us as a people. Unfortunately, our need to satisfy our momentary urges and make decisions based on "how we feel" at the moment — without any appreciation of how our behaviors affect those around us — interacting with our inability to reach compromises within a relationship are synergistic. And, it is one epidemic that affects all age demographics... but it becomes more virulent as we age.
So, my friend, I respect and admire — and, perhaps, envy — the mutual commitment you share with your companions. I sincerely hope that you all have long and joyous lives. Most sincerely, Frederick
I have great admiration for you and others like you who are immensely curious, intelligent, creative, and also, as you said, quite rare. Not all of them turn their intellect to good use, but you have because you also have a caring heart. ❤️
Thank you... that was very kind, indeed! I sincerely appreciate it.
A beautiful essay. Made me cry.
Thank you.... I teared up when writing it, too. I am glad that it touched you.. Sincerely, Frederick