“Your recent attempt at catharsis . . . shows your weakness of intellect, character, and judgment – and the apparent lack of improvement of any of these qualities over the past 25 years.” So wrote one reader, a veteran of the Vietnam War, condemning me for my actions against that war, as remembered in a recent column.
A woman called from Lancaster, PA also chiding me for the same actions. “I’ve been enjoying the articles you have written,” she said, but she drew a hard line at the Vietnam War column.
My piece on Ronald Reagan also drew heavy fire from some quarters, though a few readers applauded my appraisal of his presidency. An Arlington reader described himself politically as “a fond friend of Ronald Reagan” and deplored my views of him. But another man told me “I liked it and I agree with it one-hundred percent. I think Ronald Reagan was a bum.”
More recently, the column calling for the resignation of Pope John Paul II drew almost universal disagreement. Many readers replied passionately, defending the pope and his record. “No successor will ever have his brain,” wrote a woman from Framingham.
A man wrote from North Andover saying “It is with great sadness that I read your article.” Striking a note expressed frequently by other readers, he ad-mires the pope for not making decisions on the basis of popularity or the spirit of the times.
Other recent columns have attracted appreciative but less passionate responses. A woman writing from Woburn commented on the article about my 25th anniversary of “returning to the world.” “I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it and was touched by it,” she says.
An old friend writing from Concord used the occasion to bring me up to date on herself and her family. Recently retired, she is looking for new activities and reminds me that I am four years her senior.
A professional gerontologist, Ken Dychtwald, wrote from California to say that he thoroughly enjoyed my column about his views. “I particularly liked the way you isolated some of the ‘big’ themes in order to get your readers think-ing.” He asked as a favor that I mention his new book “Age Power: How the 21st Century Will Be Ruled by the New Old.”
A woman in Florida e-mailed me saying that I should come down to Citrus Hills, where she lives. The place is also known for being the home of Ted Williams, she informs me.
The owner of the Boston coffee exchange in South Station and on Summer Street wrote and expressed interest in getting older people to sell espresso or cappuccino. No work is required on weekends, nights, or holidays, he says.
A man from Arlington, the nephew of the man whose memorial service I wrote about, told me of distributing the column to his cousins. In response to my interest he later sent me a copy of a newsletter about his extended family that he publishes regularly.
A rabbi writing from Newton also enjoyed my 25th anniversary column and told me of his fine teaching experience at a Jesuit college in Kansas City.
And I feel indebted to a woman who wrote from Chelmsford to correct the e-mail address for the Executive Office of Elder Affairs. Inadvertently, I had omitted the word “state” from www.state.ma/us/elder.
Finally, a retired cardiologist from Newton sent me a seven page typewritten letter in response to a column called about the connection between medical practice and spirituality. His was a very thoughtful discussion of the points made in my article. Though the writer took issue with several of my statements, he did so in an understanding and sympathetic way that I much appreciated.
Many other responses have arrived but these should be enough to suggest the range of readers and their opinions. Hearing from them has enriched my experience of column writing and encouraged me to move forward.
I am also struck by the growth in the number of men and women who use email. Rare is the person nowadays who sends me so-called snail mail; the great majority of my readers use electronic messages and to good effect. Contrary to widespread assumptions, older people in particular seem to be using email regularly.
My practice is to reply whenever possible. Often that leads to further exchanges of messages and, occasionally, new friendships. I take pleasure in getting to know readers who share with me the varied experiences of aging.
When beginning this column three years ago, I promised readers to be provocative. As I wrote then, “It is, after all, part of a columnist’s job description to provoke people and stir them to indignation.” So, if you find yourself in strong disagreement with what I have written, that’s fine with me. If you let me know what you yourself think, that’s even better.
Richard Griffin