Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

9-6-90 I suspect that this is true of most people most of the time, but I’m glad to be alive. On one interpretation, this is a banality, for what is the alternative to life? As compared to death, of course one prefers life! But that’s not the sense in which I mean it. When I say I’m glad to be alive, I mean that the joys and pleasures of my life far outweigh its frustrations, pains, and disappointments. If I worked in a machine shop, as I did during college, things might be different. My existence then could only be described as miserable. But I wasn’t content to live that kind of life. I saw what I wanted (college teaching), found out what it took to achieve it, and set out single-mindedly to do so. I carved out a satisfying life; I took control of my destiny. This doesn’t mean my life is perfect; nobody’s is and mine is far from it. But it’s rich and satisfying in a number of ways. I have as much freedom as anyone, the ability to come and go as I please, excellent health, enough money to provide for life’s necessities, friends and acquaintances, pleasant colleagues, and a loving family. What more could a person want? Let it never be said that I was tired of life or that I viewed life as a burden to be borne. I embrace life.