With luck, Vonnegut's ideas and words may live on to influence a new generation of young people who can follow his example of the artist who encapsulated the feeling of pessimism of the intellect with an optimism of the will. Vonnegut's love for the human species, while hating the violence humans inflict upon each other, sets a high standard for all of us to follow.I had the fortune of hearing Kurt Vonnegut speak at the 1998 Rice University commencement ceremony. I can say this much: the world is a lot less salty now, and a lot less bitter, and that's too bad.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
So long, Mr. Vonnegut
As happens when someone I admire passes away, I am at a loss for words, but I emphatically second the thoughts expressed here and especially here:
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Wow, I hadn't pondered that commencement speech since I heard it (at my commencement -- you'll remember I took a "victory lap", or half of one at least, after my senior year). Good stuff, and probably more apt for my life than I could have known at the time I heard it.
I didn't always like what the man had to say, but I almost always liked hearing him say it. And so it goes.
If this isn't nice, what is?
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