By JW | Mon, 01/24/2022 - 16:15

I believe I was asking him what he thought my Saudi buddy and I should focus on with our business plans.

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March 12, 1990

Deer Sore,

I am very pleased to hear you ere successfully holding your own in the perennial struggle for survival. I guess I have a persistent admiration for a young fellow like you still willing to do something progressive and/or innovative.

I will try to write something relatively serious (if not profound) even at the risk of sounding pompous. Remember, pomposity is not only the hallmark of youthful immaturity, but also of advancing senility. I must tell you that I cannot help you with your crusading project. You see • I have no answers to the major dilemmas of our time. I confess I am overwhelmed by the (seeming) problems confronting the world.

Perhaps my generation of Americans won the global wars, but lost the world. I can't help but feel my generation successfully defeated the forces of progress, thus perhaps long-range survival of the species. I am referring to global population growth, air, water, and ground pollution, energy and raw material depletion, food shortages, individual and governmental debt, to say nothing of the human animal's propensity for superstition (religion), aggression and hubris.

I guess am trying to say that I am long-gone as far as ideas to solve the world's problems. Nonetheless, good luck to you. Say hello to your mother and brother.

With affection,

Your old granddad