This past week my family has been dealing with a medical crisis. My wife went to the hospital because she was having trouble breathing, found she had a collapsed lung, and in short order was in a hospital bed having a surgical procedure. Unfortunately the hole has reopened twice, and as I write this post she is again in the hospital recovering from her third (and we certainly hope final) emergency procedure. We are also fortunate as a family to have insurance which covers these procedures, and a supportive network of friends and family to help us keep things functioning during the recovery.

As we dealt with this unexpected and scary situation, I also realized that we are very fortunate to live in an educated society which can sustain skilled people and complex organizations. The medical staff were able, on all three occassions, to quickly understand what was happening, communicate that information clearly to my wife, and then take the steps needed to get her lung functioning again. Beyond the emergency procedure itself, the coordination needed to run a hospital and keep track of the needs of each individual patient require the efforts of many educated employees. Similarly, the information tools they use to do this work, along with the medical equipment and even the building itself are all products of educated people contributing to our collective well being.

As you may know, I've written a book which encourages prospective college students to think about what type of lives they want to live after college, and then to make choices and take actions that will help them get there. In that book I encourage readers to think about their strengths and passions, and to be realistic about what they will need to earn in order to thrive. My wife's current medical emergency has reminded me of two ways in which that matters. One is that we need to remember that we are living our lives only once, right now, and we owe it to ourselves to jump in and live as fully as we can. The experts on life satisfaction tell us that happiness depends not just on pleasant experiences, but also on engaging in challenging activities and pursuing something we find meaningful. The other is that through individuals pursuing their own goals, we have collectively created a society which, while it still has plenty of opportunity for improvement, functions amazingly well.

These reflections have renewed my commitment to helping others make the most of their lives through education. That is where my passion lies, and I will be cheating myself, my family and friends, and our whole society if I don't act on that passion. If you know of any way II can be of service to you or others in finding a way to get more out of college, please click the Contact Us link at the top of this website and let me know.

Wishing you the best in 2009 and beyond.