Alan Fox

We’ve all heard the adage, “experience is the best teacher.”  While I’ve certainly learned from my own experience, I find it quite helpful to learn from the successes and failures of others. That‘s one reason I love to read biographies. Inside each life story are lessons. How did this person succeed?  Where and why did they fail?

I’ve just finished a new book, “Who Knew” by Barry Diller, who is well-known in the Entertainment industry. Early in his career Diller was assigned a menial task in the basement of the MCA building. There he discovered a treasure trove of files, detailing in letters and other documents, the history of the entertainment industry, including the careers of many Hollywood stars. When Barry was hired as the assistant to the head of ABC, he already carried in his head pertinent information about many of the executives and actors with whom he would interact.

His life demonstrates that when you are both consistent and persistent you will likely prevail, especially if you enjoy your work. This has proven to be true for me as well, although in one notable respect, my style of working is very different. Barry is known for his loud, combative management, and he is notorious for shouting at his staff. I’m more than a little allergic to shouting. I prefer the opposite, a conversation based on mutual regard and a respectful discussion.

My favorite modern biographer is Walter Isaacson. I strongly recommend all his books. His Lyndon Johnson series is spectacular, and I’m now about one-third of my way through his biography of Einstein. I don’t understand much of the science, but I definitely resonate to Einstein’s challenges with both relationships and money early in his life.

I recently finished a biography of Aimee Semple McPherson, who founded a temple adjacent to Echo Park where, on Saturday mornings years ago, my mom use to take me to fish.

The subject of most biographies is almost always famous (or notorious), and I have concluded that, for me, I prefer a cloak of invisibility.

So please don’t tell anyone who the author is behind this wonderful blog. They might try to write a biography about me.

XXX

Yes, Thanksgiving is over, but I’m extending the Thanksgiving of good feelings into another week. After all, aren’t we all here to help each other (except slow drivers, who infuriate me)?

I thank all those who developed useful electricity, and who have provided light, heat, and transportation. These are things I am truly grateful for every day.  As we drove for an hour to my son’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, I realized that without electricity, and cars and roads, we would only be able to visit each other once or twice a year, rather than once or twice a week.

I can imagine what it must be like to live in a time or a place without these things, as some people still do. I’m aware of how lucky we are to have access to modern conveniences like reliable heat and running water because there are those who don’t.

I know that we all have challenges. Some more than others. I am grateful that for me and my family, our challenges don’t involve having to find food and water or shelter. But everyone, even those who are blessed with modern conveniences have emotional needs. That’s what life is all about — filling our needs.

And one of those important needs is a sense of community.  In ancient societies banishment was a death sentence. Think about it. Suppose that when you wake up tomorrow morning there were no other people alive.  Anywhere. Except you.

Can you cook?  Run a power plant?  Treat a wound?  Maybe you can do two out of three, but without the safety net of one another and community, would life even be worth living?

Whenever I fill a pot with hot water, I think of Lyndon Johnson as a boy growing up in rural west Texas. When his family needed hot water, no problem.  Just carry the pot down to the river, fill it, lug it back up the hill, cut a bunch of logs, start a fire, heat the water. It took Johnson’s family half a day to obtain hot water. Heck, all we need to do is to pay the utility bills and turn a faucet.

I’m looking forward to returning to work, which provides a large part of my social network.  I am grateful for and appreciate the people I work with. I enjoy working on projects with other people, and it gives me great pleasure to help others.

So let’s remind ourselves to savor every moment, and take time each morning to reflect upon all of our blessings. We have so many.

Good fortune is not an orphan when we help each other sail atop the sea of life.

Gobble gobble.

Alan

My favorite dinner of the year?

Thanksgiving.

And whatever dinner is my second favorite is far behind. In fact, as I write this, I’m wondering why I don’t enjoy turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce more often.

Our family does not have a drunk uncle at the festivities, but we do have the vegans (a fair number) and the rest of us omnivores (an even more fair number).

So forgive me (or thank me) today for the Thanksgiving gift of brevity.

I’ll be back next week, hopefully weighing no more than I do right now.

Alan