Who I Am

Maybe it's funny.

From many of the comments I get on these posts, visitors seem more worked up by my random political views or my business opinions than my personal concerns, but when it comes to my personal passions, they remain diametrically opposed to this sort of world view.

I know any of my children, at whatever age, could put any visitor straight.

That when I embrace liberal, conservative, radical, libertarian, mainstream, or outlier views, I am really only engaging intellectually. Like many people who have worked as professors in colleges for years, I tend to indulge in the exchange of ideas mostly as an educational process.

Any good teacher knows that when you venture into territory where you maintain some uncertainty yourself, you will likely prove more effective in the classroom.

On the other hand, if you adopt a know-it-all approach, and just lecture, your students will probably become bored, and let their attention wander.

In addition, as a journalist, I have spent a professional lifetime cultivating an informed state of uncertainty -- of not really deciding, you might say -- about issues that others feel passionate about.

It is important for me to do so, because it is important for some people in a society like ours to keep channels open with all sides on the issues that divide us. And to remind all of us that, like it or not, we are all in this thing together.

So, if you ever scroll down to read some of the comments my posts elicit, you will find that often people seem quite opposed, or angry with what I've written. Does this bother me?

Never. I welcome the debate over ideas, although I admit to not share enough passion about the particulars to engage at that level of true-believer stuff. If I had anything close to that strong a belief about abstract issues like the amount of government that is needed, or the degree of market freedom that is optimal, I would not be me.

I would not be a journalist.

More importantly, I would not be David.

Tonight, David remains unconvinced about the administration's health-care reforms or its financial system reforms. He remains uncertain about most of the great issues of our day.

But he is very worried that his 15-year-old son's ankle injury may be worse than he originally believed. The pain and swelling today were substantial. After all this kid has accomplished, the idea that he may not play tomorrow in the final regular season game, or even worse, next week in the city playoffs for the championship, is utterly heart-breaking.

There is nobody else in this kid's life who is going to lift a finger to help him in this matter. It is uniquely his father's role. And that would be David. If not for me, today he would have walked many blocks up and down a steep hill, no doubt ending his season in the process. He deserves a better fate.

So today at dawn, after a fitful sleep, David went to the boy's mother's house and drove him to school. At one, David drove back and picked him up. He bought him a brace. Later, he gave him Ibuprofen.

He talked with the boy, reminding him about the importance of rest, ice, elevation. Of not walking uphill or downhill, of not trying to do too much too soon.

Finally he warned him that his season could be over. A father has to tell the truth, even when it hurts.

I'm no hero. I am nobody but just somebody like anybody trying to be a good Dad. That is all I strive to be, pure and simple, because it is so hard and it is such a heavy responsibility.

In the process, I did no real work, which always carries dire consequences in this world we have to live in. Were my own needs met? In no way. They seldom are. This was in fact a bad day, for me, especially in any professional sense. A very bad day. But it would have been far worse, in the end, if I didn't do what I did, for him.

I don't give a damn, right now, about health care reform (Sorry, Obama) or bailouts, or the war in Afghanistan, or any other national issue. There are many of you who can worry and debate about those very worthy issues and others.

All I care about is that my kid's ankle heals enough so he can participate in the game next Wednesday afternoon that will help determine who is the San Francisco Unified Public School District's varsity high school soccer champion.

That's it. Politics, economics, theory, money, the right or the left -- they can all wait.




That is who David is. And also his son.

-30-