I would prefer to have believed the best and been wrong than to have believed the worst and been right. — Gerald Boyer.
When I first came to DC, a reporter once called me to task. He was writing an article about an individual up for confirmation and the information on his tax return. He was now interviewing me about the individual who had been nominated to a position at DOJ. I said, “I thought an individual’s tax return was confidential?” He laughed, and said, “Judge, you have a lot to learn. There are no secrets in DC.” He wrote the article without my help anyway, and took a swipe at me in the process by saying, “The Associate Attorney General refused to comment asserting the individual’s right to privacy. Hubbell is naive, and has no idea how DC works.”
Well I didn’t think I was naive, rather that whoever leaked the tax return had broken the law, but the reporter was right. I had a lot to learn about DC.
I look back on this conversation after I read the last sentence in Gerald Boyer’s famous, “I Would Prefer.”
I like to associate with people who believe the best in others, and are sometimes called naive than to always believe the worst. I also remind myself that if I like to be around people who believe in the best, I need to be one of those people myself. How about you?
Editor’s Note: Eight years ago this summer I began writing meditations on an almost daily basis — most weeks five days a week. Lately, I have not been pleased with their quality and worry I am becoming repetitive. I have also started to examine my daily schedule. I need more time to read, meditate, pray, and get outside. So I have decided to do some tweaking with my schedule and some experimenting. I have always believed that to continue to improve one needs to change things up periodically.
So for the next two weeks the Hubbell Pew will be on a brief sabbatical. The time I normally spend writing the Pew will be spent reading some inspirational books that have been gathering dust on the bookshelf, walking in a nearby park, and taking notes. When I return we are going to experiment with posting a meditation on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. So after tomorrow’s meditation look for the next meditation on June 25, 2018.
For those who are interested, I am also doing some tweaking and experimenting with the other parts of my daily schedule, as well. It is very easy to spend to much time in front of a computer screen, especially when one is writing books and meeting contractual obligations to market on social media. My two week sabbatical will extend to the rest of my day as well.
I sincerely hope when the Pew returns in two weeks you will notice a difference. WH.
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