Calling out our better selves

All I can say is... watch President Obama's speech on the shooting in Tucson... and perhaps heed his call and reflect a bit on the question of how we can best live our lives.

As he says in the speech, "We are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame -– but rather, how well we have loved -- and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better."

(Video link)

Transcript here.

And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let’s remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud.