Today marks the end of my 59th year in this vale of tears. (I was born a poor black child on 7 April 1957. Sorry. I took the "poor black child" part from The Jerk [1979], which is one of my favorite movies of all time.) I've had a wonderful, happy life, but I can't say that I've ever been happier. I have a job (teaching philosophy) that I love; I live in the best place (Texas); I travel as much as I want or need (this year to Scotland); I'm as fit as I've ever been (my resting heart rate after 35 years of cycling and competitive running is 46, and I have no aches or pains of any sort); I have all the material things that I want or need, including electronic gadgetry, an expensive bicycle, books, movies, and music; I have three loyal and loving canine companions (Shelbie, Chloe, and Autie); I play guitar almost every day to develop my musical talent (such as it is); and, most importantly, I have the best wife ever.
Katherine bought me this set of books (click the image to enlarge it) for my birthday. As you can see, it's the new edition (published in 2012 in, of all places, Wyoming) of Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae. Each page has the original Latin on the left side and an English translation on the right. I teach Aquinas in my Ethics courses every spring and in my Philosophy of Religion course every other year. I may incorporate portions of the Summa in other courses as well, such as Biomedical Ethics, Philosophy of Law, and Social and Political Philosophy. I continue to be fascinated by Natural Law. Earlier in life, I immersed myself in (and mastered) libertarianism (the political philosophy). Later, I immersed myself in (and mastered) feminism. I have long since rejected these worldviews, the first because it's one-dimensional and the second because it's false.
I'm now immersed in Natural Law, not with the aim of becoming a Natural Law theorist or practitioner (though that could happen) but because it's historically important and immensely interesting. The Angelic Doctor has much to teach us about ourselves and about the world in which we live. I feel sorry for students who, as a result of multiculturalism and political correctness, are denied knowledge of Western civilization. They literally don't know who they are.
Addendum: Some students are sensing (and regretting) the loss. Good for them.
