Glowing with Pride

Those of you who aren't fathers may not understand this, but bear with those of us who are. Today my son, in whom I am well pleased, was almost arrested on his college campus. This was because he was carrying a hatchet, which the campus police chose to interpret as a weapon instead of a tool. He stood his ground about it, made them apologize and give him back the axe. He was completely right about the law on this subject, which gives substantial leeway to the police but nevertheless does not forbid carrying a tool that might possibly be used as a weapon.

My wife doesn't get this, because in her mind if you were only a little more careful about obeying the rules -- staying clearly inside of the lines -- there wouldn't be any trouble, and peace and order would be maintained. I love her, but she's wrong. The only reason any of us are free at all is that someone held the line, right at the edge, and made the powers that be back off and respect the limits.

I've never been more proud. Not of anything I've ever done, nor anything at all. I doubt my father was ever this proud of me. I'm writing this down in the hope that someday he'll read it and know how proud he made me. I tried to tell him, but words are passing things.