A Letter

Dear Harold ...

From your early days in US Army Intelligence during WW-2 through your decades-long attempt to get a variety of hierarchies to crack, especially those that excluded masses of our brethren either from Restaurants or Water Fountains or Professional Organizations, one could argue that you really didn't do so well. When you unexpectedly died in 1986, much of your work hadn't been completed. People still, today, think that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone (contrary to your efforts in The Realist); America is still often divided along racial lines (again, contrary to your many efforts to bring the World of People's together); and professional groups in this Land of Milk and Money (as your older Brother, Abe used to call America) still scramble about trying to control their niche in this or that Eco-System.

But some things have changed. Oh! Police and various minority communities have not found a way to police urban areas without both being put in danger or killed or killing and riots are still breaking out. Countries are still fighting -- smaller wars that your War but millions of lives lost, still -- and both anti-Moslem and anti-Jewish sentiments seem to be on the rise. I know you liked the communications between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud where Freud suggested that War -- the human propensity to hate and kill -- will never be removed but, still, may be tempered if we folk come under the sway of two of our maybe-not-so-natural inclinations ... Loving our Neighbors and the Recognition of Similarities, that, I suppose one could say, allow us to love those oddballs living next door.

I think you'd be pleased that during daylight hours, it's become pretty safe for people with different color skins to walk down streets, together. We have a President here in the USA whose Dad was
African and Mom, a mid-Western White. I suspect you -- certainly I -- have no problem identifying with him ... recognizing the similarities, that is. He's a family guy ... really quite bright and thinks quite deeply, even if he chose to attend Harvard Law School ... he doesn't appear to catastrophize ... indeed, they call him No Drama Obama. (Obama is not an Irish name, by the way.) True. Half the Country finds nothing good in what he does and seems to hate him; even if you had a bias when you were alive against prayer, I do pray for the Secret Service that has protected him for 6 full years.

Sorry that I haven't written you in all these years. I talk about you a lot. You were my mentor and I identify you as such, just as Paul Harbour was yours, Hans Sachs his, and Freud mentored (that particular) Little Hans. An old psychiatrist -- Si must be over 85 -- called you a genius, last Tuesday night. Not much compensation, I suspect, for being dead. Still ... nice to hear, aye? I responded
holding to my stubborn and obsessive position that you don't have to be a genius to be God-awful
bright and I explained to him that I neurotically eschew words like Genius and Hero but that maybe Genius applied to you, anyway ... Blah-blah-blah. How long have I been wordy?

I remember when we were both teaching at the Institute. You called and asked me how I was doing with the students. I explained that all was going well for your young protege (I wasn't 40, yet), except that quite often I would explain some principle of being human or being ill and someone would quietly opine:

"But Harold said it this way."

Well, Harold ... One of your goals was met, last night. A stigmatized and maligned group of young healers whose recognition we fought for got some of that recognition. The vote was something like 67-27. I was sitting in the audience, heard the vote, and my eyes warmed. Mind you, it made no
difference in my status and wouldn't have in yours. But we did Ok, didn't we?  I thought you would like to know.

Harold ... You did real good. 

I still miss you.

Geez ... Almost forgot to tell you. There was a Good Ole (somewhat) Liberal Boy, ex-Gov of Arkansas, who was President in the 90's ... Billy Clinton. His wife Hillary is poised to become our next!

Hey!