Dear David,

I am sorry to learn about the death of your daughter's
husband. My Deepest sympathy goes out to you, to her,
and your families. It is my deepest sorrow that her
husband is not here now. I'm sure that he made a
difference and touched all your lives. My prayer is that
your daughter's grief might move through her gently and
that the days ahead will not be dark but light.

May eternal rest be granted to him.
Let perpetual light shine on him.
May he rest in peace.
Amen.

Dear Banjo and Foxy,

Thanks for your condolences on the death of my son-in-law. I don’t know what he died from.

I appear to be going strong – no chronic medical problems. At the moment I have three purposes in life - to remember to put the toilet seat down and to read Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason” and Titchmarch’s “Theory of the Riemann Zeta-Function”. Both my sons have read the critique, and the older envied me for having the opportunity to read it for the first time. About 65 years I was doing a course in analytic number theory, and Titchmarch’s book was the text. My mind was in too much turmoil to make much out of it then, but with the peace of age I’ve gone back to it.

The following is something I read about Kant in “50 Philosophy Classics”:

"For him, religion was not a pathway to connect with spiritual truth (which was impossible), but a validation of carefully reasoned moral positions. His thinking made it seem acceptable for a rational, modern person who accepts science and logic to keep room in their life for spirituality. Yet in saying that nothing concrete could ever be said in theology (because it was a field of inquiry into a subject of reality that could not be known, or at least sensibly written or spoken of), Kant also laid the philosophical pavement for modern philosophy, including the logical positivists and Wittgenstein.

His work has remained compelling and influential because it manages to serve two camps: the empirically minded can say that Kant showed all talk of God and theology to be guff, and believers can see in his work a rational foundation for moral law and metaphysics. Either way, because his system is so rigorous, comprehensive and internally cohesive, no philosopher since has been able to ignore him."

I won’t ignore him, either. I am sure that, if there is a God he is not the God of the Bible. If man is created in his image with his arbitrary impulses and irrational acts that man is Donald Trump.

Dear David,

I admire your choice of reading material.

Mine is much more lighter.

At present I'm placed orders for two books -

1) "Sex and Vanity", by Kevin Kwan.
Author of the bestseller - "Crazy Rich Asians" that was made
into a movie.

2) "Because a White Man'll Never Do It," by Aboriginal author
Kevin Gilbert - whose poem I quoted in this discussion.

It will be interesting to read his feelings written back
in the 1970s - to see how things compare with the plight of
the Indigenous today - and what recommendations he suggested
back then.

Dear David,

I remember reading what Mel Brooks had to say about
Donald Trump when Mr Trump announced his intention
to run for the US Presidency. Brooks said -
"Trump doesn't scare me - he's just a song and dance
man".

I think this quote of Brooks is more suited now:

"Hope for the Best. Expect the worst.
Life is a play. We're unrehearsed".

I find the analogy of politics to a school interesting and perhaps useful- kudos. I find the term "evolutionary" interesting too- it's a term that Trotsky communists use in their strategy... Not that terminology doesn't cross polinate.

To David F- As long as we remember them they will never die... Take care mate... take one day at a time... I find it sad that few people take the time to talk to those that remember times past... when they go there is a great loss in the world... they will never die...

It's an important ritual...

Kiss the one you love when ever you leave them in case you can't come back again... this is not done for the one who leaves but the one left behind...

I haven't time to create a reading list... but I read as much as I can... wish I could do more...