Guilt

I don't feel guilty about slavery. I don't feel guilty about the fate of Native Americans. In fact, I don't feel guilty about anything that happened prior to the date of my birth.

I never owned a slave or desired to, nor did I ever shoot an Indian and steal his land. I say this because there are a lot of special-interest groups trying to lay guilt trips on Americans of European ancestry. That is nothing more than a con game. All we inherit from our ancestors are genes.

This life, right here and right now, is all you're going to get. You'd better smell the roses while you can, because you and the roses will disappear sooner than you might think. All that junk, all those honors and awards you worked for, will be left behind for the living to pick over and discard. You will be forgotten, as indeed we all will. Therefore, if you aren't enjoying what you're doing, then don't do it.

The Buddhists have it right that neither the past nor the future exists. We spend our entire lives living in one present moment after another. It's a very bad idea to waste any of those moments dwelling on what's already happened and can't be changed or, for that matter, worrying about what may or may not happen down the road.

Enjoy the moment. Let the dead converse with the dead. We have the living for our companions – at least for a little while.