Allen Ginsberg

Even when you're successful, even when you win the game, about an hour after the game, you have a litany of things that you now deal with that are problematic... So the times that you are happy are minute compared to the time that you're dealing with problems.

Having a Congress with a more diverse educational and professional background would serve the country well. And given the budget challenges facing America today, we might benefit from a few more cold, calculating problem solvers, and fewer courtroom impresarios.

In short, chronological connectivity puts us in touch with the holy. It is at once humbling and exhilarating. I say this as someone who has never followed any formal religious practice. Connection with the past and the future is a pathway that charms us in the direction of sanity and grace.