I know that each of us looks at folks and wonders how on Earth we’ll continue on when they’re no longer with us. That exact sentiment occurs to me when I think about a number of people.
Near the top of the list is a man who just very recently, celebrated his 90th birthday. The person in question is the prolific yet exceptionally deep, Dr Thomas Sowell.
Besides spending a lifetime teaching idiots like me about life and reality. Dr Sowell has spent a great deal of time (so much, one wonders how he manages to do what he does) writing and talking with intelligence, wit, wisdom and probably most important of all logic.
Dr Sowell is like a fine wine, the much better as he ages.
It can be argued that he’s lost some of his mental quickness over the course of time (though I’m not at all sure I agree with that idea). Even if I decide I concur, he’s assuredly kept his depth, and strength of reason firmly intact.
I was initially introduced to Thomas Sowell, somewhere around ten years back, and on first reading what he had to say, I found myself agreeing with much, but in disagreement on some finer points. The more exposure I’ve had to his writings and utterances in speech, the more I find myself largely aligning with his ways of looking at the world.
For people who recognize the gravity of dispassionate thought, this should come as no surprise. Dr Sowell is a master in that arena. There’s no doubt that he feels, even so, he doesn’t allow feeling to rule the roost. His interest is in understanding the mechanics of things, then passing along what he’s gained to others. This, he has done any number of times, most amazingly.
It seems inevitable that if a person works towards consistently bettering him or her self, watching the directions in which he or she travels with an intent toward becoming a more perfect person, he or she is likely to continue to improve. In my view, Dr Sowell embodies this approach. The result over time has been obvious. He has continually honed various crafts with the result that he’s become a voice for reason, for analysis, for logic and one seeking to help others to strive towards results.
The sad reality is, there are a good many people arrayed against Dr Sowell and people of his ilk. Their weapons are powerful with regard to effect—specifically the things they are disirous to accomplish. These individuals use emotion and things that seem as though they could be factual if one were to ignore the underlying data.
Thomas Sowell has sought to understand their arguments, fully realizing that he cannot successfully advocate for or against any viewpoint without so doing.
Has he be successful in his pursuit of comprehending the motives and methods of those who would argue against the things he supports? I would argue he has.
It should aslo be understood that he bears a striking resemblance to Mr Ronald Reagan in that he doesn’t seek to disparage his opponents, nor count them enemies, but to strike at the substance of their statements in such a way as to make it crystal clear that what they’re putting forth may appear reasonable, sensible and rational, but cannot be supported by data.
I have yet to see a single case where Dr Sowell has talked about something and not been willing to back up what he says with solid, unemotional, statistical facts.
I very much doubt it would possible for anyone to not have emotional connections, and I presume Dr Sowell is no different than anyone else in this regard. But emotion alone doesn’t produce results—a thing Thomas Sowell well understands.
It’s an easy thing to say you support something, but a much harder one to prove that to be true; most particulary when those working at cross purposes with you, are willing to indulge in a variety of mechanisms in place for no greater purpose, than to wear you down in order to get you to either shut up, or abandon your principles and positions. With all those in disagreement with this man—many using the aforementioned tactics—his consistency and truness to his integrity are truly worthy of strong consideration.
He continues to move steadily ever onward, seeking the best paths, even when the odds appear to be strongly stacked against him. And he pretty much invariably succeeds in getting his position recognized.
In all of this Thomas Sowell has seen the world go from somewhat sensible, logical goal setting, to emotional, unreasonable, illogical discord. Yet he continues to impress with his ongoing push towards being the “man in the room.”
I’m sure Dr Sowell still goes through periods when he feels defeated by the direction in which many things have headed over the course of time. This makes his perseverance a thing I respect the much more.
There are certainly others for whom I have high levels of respect, but this man has done more to correct my perspective and attitudes on life than pretty much any other human.
As with all other commodities, our days are a finite resource. Dr Sowell having seen ninety plus years of life, is probably not due to be with us for a good deal longer. We can hope for the best. We can pray that he doesn’t leave this planet anytime soon—that his wisdom and clarity of thought continue until he’s no longer among us.
It’s hard to imagine ten men filling the void I currently see upon his passing. As such, we can hope it’s a good long time from now.
If there were a man whose visage and words would fill my mind were I asked to nominate somebody for the office of national treasure, you can be assured that Dr Thomas Sowell would be very high on the list—probably at the top of it. Intelligent, cogent, soft-spoke, knowledgeable, wise, kind and so much more, these are the adjectives I would use in extolling his person to one who wanted to know about whom I speak.
Thanks for reading, and may your time be good.