Caught in the Larousse trap
Moreover, if you examine their upper class, the WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants), those 'Boston Brahmin' values were pretty sound, really. You had to study, you had to have accomplishments (in music, ballet, or foreign languages), and you had to be outdoorsy for body-mind balance. Besides wealth creation, you had to work on something that added to the sum of human knowledge; you had to support museums, universities, and good causes, grow gardens, and practise serious philanthropy. Most appealing, you had to practise thrift: use money for acquiring graces, not for showing off.
An Austrian Jew who embodied these values was Justice Felix Frankfurter, a star of Harvard Law School, an advisor to President Franklin D Roosevelt, and a Supreme Court judge. I love his 'Advice to a Young Man Interested in Going to Law'; it's a life-bestowing mantra:
'No one can be a truly competent lawyer unless he is a cultivated man. If I were you, I would forget all about my technical preparation for law. The best way to prepare for the law is to come to the study of law as a well-read person. Thus alone can one acquire the capacity to use the English language on paper and in speech and with the habit of clear thinking, which only a truly liberal education can give. No less important for a lawyer is the cultivation of the imaginative faculties by reading poetry, seeing great paintings, in the original or in easily available reproductions, and listening to great music. Stock your mind with the deposit of much good reading and widen and deepen your feelings by experiencing vicariously as much as possible the wonderful mysteries of the universe and forget all about your career.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
India and US edge closer to mini trade deal: Key sectors excluded
India and the US are nearing a mini trade deal with politically and economically sensitive sectors of dairy and agriculture likely to be excluded from the pact, officials said. 'The deal is in its conclusion phase,' said an official. 'Most issues related to agri may be discussed later. As of now, they seem to be out of the ambit of this phase of the deal,' the official said, adding that the agreement could be announced in the next two days. The interim deal would only cover trade in goods, a second official said. The official noted that the two sides could also look to finalise multiple agreements as and when the issues get resolved. Both sides have been in intense negotiations to reach a deal before the US government's 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs ends on July 9. India is seeking greater access to the American market for labour-intensive industries such as textiles and electronics. The US, meanwhile, wants to be able to sell genetically modified (GM) crops and cattle feed to India, a sensitive issue for New Delhi. These segments are difficult and challenging areas for India as local farmers are mostly into sustenance farming and have small land holdings. Washington, however, is not willing to lower tariffs below the baseline 10%. In April, US President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs for most of America's trading partners based on their trade surpluses with the US, which included a 26% levy on India. New Delhi wants the entire 26% tariff to be rolled back while the US is pushing for market access across sectors, including agriulture and dairy products, and insistence on exporting GM crops to India. Last week, Trump said his administration would send letters to individual countries which do not reach a deal with the US by the July 9 deadline, specifying the tariffs they would have to pay for exporting to America. If the talks fall through or the July 9 deadline is not extended, the tariffs will come to the April 2 level of 26% in the case of India.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
US Mini Trade Deal in Final Leg; Farm, Dairy Out For Now
India and the US are nearing a mini trade deal with politically and economically sensitive sectors of dairy and agriculture likely to be excluded from the pact, officials said. 'The deal is in its conclusion phase,' said an official. 'Most issues related to agri may be discussed later. As of now, they seem to be out of the ambit of this phase of the deal,' the official said, adding that the agreement could be announced in the next two days. The interim deal would only cover trade in goods, a second official said. The official noted that the two sides could also look to finalise multiple agreements as and when the issues get resolved. Both sides have been in intense negotiations to reach a deal before the US government's 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs ends on July 9. India is seeking greater access to the American market for labour-intensive industries such as textiles and electronics. The US, meanwhile, wants to be able to sell genetically modified (GM) crops and cattle feed to India, a sensitive issue for New Delhi. These segments are difficult and challenging areas for India as local farmers are mostly into sustenance farming and have small land holdings. Washington, however, is not willing to lower tariffs below the baseline 10%. In April, US President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs for most of America's trading partners based on their trade surpluses with the US, which included a 26% levy on India. New Delhi wants the entire 26% tariff to be rolled back while the US is pushing for market access across sectors, including agriculture and dairy products, and insistence on exporting GM crops to India. Last week, Trump said his administration would send letters to individual countries which do not reach a deal with the US by the July 9 deadline, specifying the tariffs they would have to pay for exporting to America. If the talks fall through or the July 9 deadline is not extended, the tariffs will come to the April 2 level of 26% in the case of India.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Govt officials balk at interfering in ex-CJI home row
Ex-CJI D Y Chandrachud (File photo) With Supreme Court taking an unusual step of asking the govt to take back the official bungalow of CJI at 5, Krishna Menon Marg, officials are hopeful of the situation sorting out itself sparing them of an unpleasant task of serving eviction notice to a former CJI. Media reports quoted ex-CJI D Y Chandrachud as saying they (he & family) are set to move out in a few days. Officials hopeful they won't need to serve ex-CJI eviction notice Amid media reports quoted ex-CJI D Y Chandrachud saying they (he & family) are set to move out and it was only a matter of a few days, officials in the housing and urban affairs ministry said they are hopeful that there would be no need for serving an eviction notice. Officials said this is perhaps for the first time when the SC administration has asked it to get a bungalow vacated from a former CJI and return it to the SC housing pool for fresh allotment. They added that for them it was a peculiar situation since the bungalow is placed under the SC housing pool and it is the apex court which takes a call on allotment. In a July 1 letter to the housing and urban affairs secretary, the SC administration had pointed out that the time allowed for the former CJI to vacate the official accommodation had expired, and hence, the bungalow must be vacated without delay. Sources said SC authorities wrote to the ministry as all govt accommodations, including those meant for judges and belonging to the SC pool, fall under the ministry's jurisdiction and it is the ministry that is responsible for carrying out any eviction. SC is in need of official accommodation for four judges, sources said. Rule 3B of the SC Judges Rules, 2022, allows retired CJIs to retain their bungalow for up to six months after retirement. Justice Chandrachud, who retired as CJI in Nov 2024, has been staying there. In Dec, he wrote to his successor and former CJI Justice Sanjiv Khanna, seeking time until April 30, 2025, to retain the bungalow, and this was allowed. Again in April, he wrote to the then CJI, Khanna, seeking time until June 30, citing difficulty in finding a suitable accommodation.
