Ben Stein, philosopher

I'm not normally given to quoting Ben Stein (although I remember being 15 and thinking I was hilarious in imitating his deadpan "Bueller, Bueller, Bueller..." when a teacher would be taking attendance and someone was absent but not immediately noted as such). Anyway, this column --- from the NYT business section, of all places --- really moved me.

Sure, he kind of shoehorns some economic forecasting into the piece (it is a business column after all), and free registration may be required to access the article, but it's well worth the effort. Let me know what you think.