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Lesson21Itisacliche,asitistotakeofapocalypseandnightmare,butwhensomethingisbeyondourexperience,wereachforthepointsofreferencewehave.2Lestyoushouldeverforgetthesmallnessofbeinghuman,theiconicMountFuji,instantlyrecognizableyetsomehowdifferentoneveryviewingisanextinctvolcano.3Itsurprisedme,overthefollowingmonthsthatthegasattackseemedtodominatethenationalmediacoverage,whereasKobe,aftertheinitialweeksofhorrifyingfootage,slippedsomewhatintothebackground.4Ratherthanimmersingourselvesinthelanguageofhorrorfilmsandtheendoftheworld,whenthetimeisrighttotrytoglimpsethisnewterritory,wemightforthoughtreachforabookbyJapansmostpopularcontemporarynovelist.5Butweshouldresistthetemptationtoimaginepanickinghordesbuyingupallthefoodandfleeingthecapitalasthenextpartofourhorrornarrative.Lesson41BillClintonwashardtomissintheautumnof1970.HearrivedatYaleLawSchoollookingmorelikeaVikingthanaRhodesScholarreturningfromtwoyearsatOxford.Hewastallandhandsomesomewherebeneaththatreddishbrownbeardandcurlymaneofhair.Healsohadavitalitythatseemedtoshootoutofhispores.WhenIfirstsawhiminthelawschoolstudentlounge,hewasholdingforthbeforearaptaudienceoffellowstudent.1970.2ThewayBilltellsthestory,hecouldntrememberhisownname.3Tothisday,hecanastonishmewiththeconnectionsheweavesbetweenideasandwordsandhowhemakesitallsoundlikemusic.4OneofthefirstthingsInoticedaboutBillwastheshapeofhishands.Hiswristsarenarrowandhisfingerstaperedanddeft,likethoseofapianistorasurgeon.Whenwefirstmetasstudents,Ilovedwatchinghimturnthepagesofabook.Nowhishandsareshowingsignsofageafterthousandsofhandshakesandgolfswingsandmilesofsignatures.Theyare,liketheirowner,weatheredbutstillexpressive,attractiveandresilient.5IstilldidntknowwhereIwouldliveandwhatIwoulddobecausemyinterestsinchildadvocacyandcivilrightsdidntdictateaparticularpath.6TheprospectofdrivingfromoneSouthernstatetoanotherconvincingDemocratsbothtosupportMcGovernandtoopposeNixonspolicyinVietnamexcitedhim.7Webothhadtoworktopayourwaythroughlawschool,ontopofthestudentloanswehadtakenout.Lesson61JohnForbesNash,Jr.---mathematicalgenius,inventorofatheoryofrationalbehavior,visionaryofthethinkingmachine---hadbeensittingwithhisvisitor,alsoamathematician,fornearlyhalfanhour.??|2HehadbeenstaringdullyataspotimmediatelyinfrontoftheleftfootofHarvardprofessorGeorgeMackeyhardlymovingexcepttobrushhislongdarkhairawayfromhisforeheadinafitful,repetitivemotion.3Overthenextdecade,adecadeasnotableforitssupremefaithinhumanrationalityasforitsdarkanxietiesaboutmankindssurvival,Nashprovedhimself,inthewordsoftheeminentgeometerMikhailGromov,themostremarkablemathematicianofthesecondhalfofthecentury.204Geniuses,themathematicianPaulHalmoswrote,areoftwokinds:theoneswhoarejustlikeallofus,butverymuchmoreso,andtheoneswho,apparently,haveanextrahumanspark.Wecanallrun,andsomeofuscanrunthemileinlessthan4minutes;butthereisnothingthatmostofuscandothatcompareswiththecreationoftheGreatG-minorFugue.Nashsgeniuswasofthatmysteriousvarietymoreoftenassociatedwithmusicandarethanwiththeoldestofallsciences.?G5Compulsivelyrational,hewishedtoturnlifesdecisions---whethertotakethefirstelevatororwaitforthenextone,wheretobankhismoney,whatjobtoaccept,whethertomarry---intocalculationsofadvantageanddisadvantage,algorithmsormathematicalrulesdivorcedfromemotion,convention,andtradition.------6Hisremotenesswaspunctuatedbyflightsofgarrulousnessaboutouterspaceandgeopoliticaltrendschildishpranksandunpredictableeruptionsofanger.Buttheseoutburstsweremoreoftenthannot,asenigmaticashissilences.Heisnotoneofuswasaconstantrefrain.7Nashsinsightintothedynamicsofhumanrivalry---histheoryofrationalconflictandcooperation---wastobecomeoneofthemostinfluentialideasofthetwentiethcentury,transformingtheyoungscienceofnaturalselection,andNewtonscelestialmechanicsreshapedbiologyandphysicsintheirday.------20.Lesson71ThisChristmasseasonfindsusaratherbewilderedhumanrace.Wehaveneitherpeacewithinnorpeacewithout.Everywhereparalyzingfearsharrowpeoplebydayandhauntthembynight.Ourworldissickwar;everywhereweturnweseeitsominouspossibilities.Andyet,myfriends,theChristmashopeforpeaceandgoodwilltowardallmencannolongerbedismissedasakindofpiousdreamofsomeutopian.2Ifwedonthavegoodwilltowardmeninthisworld,wewilldestroyourselvesbythemisuseofourowninstrumentsandourownpower.Wisdombornofexperienceshouldtellusthatwarisobsolete.Theremayhavebeenatimewhenwarservedasanegativegoodbypreventingthespreadandgrowthofanevilforce,buttheverydestructivepowerofmodernweaponsofwarfareeliminateseventhepossibilitythatwarmayanylongerserveasanegativegood.3Nowletmesuggestfirstthatifwearetohavepeaceonearth,ourloyaltiesmustbecomeecumenicalratherthansectional.Ourloyaltiesmusttranscendourrace,ourtribe,ourclass,andournation;andthismeanswemustdevelopaworldperspective.4Nowletmesay,secondly,thatifwearetohavepeaceintheworld,menandnationsmustembracethenonviolentaffirmationthatendsandmeansmustcohere.Oneofthegreatphilosophicaldebatesofhistoryhasbeenoverthewholequestionofmeansandends.Andtherehavealwaysbeenthosewhoarguedthattheendjustifiesthemeans,thatthemeansreallyarentimport