James Garfield on Leisure Time.....

[Cut-Throat]

I was listening to Public Radio today and they had a piece on James Garfield (Former President of USA). It seems he gave a commencement speech at a College while he was still a candidate for President.

The Speech was totally different than most commencement speeches. Instead of cheering the young graduates on to pursue success and work hard, he did the opposite. He told the graduates that even if they succeeded and achieved their dream job, the dream husband, children, home, they would mostly cherish their leisure time. The more they succeeded the less leisure time they would have.

Hence the irony of life, we all strive to be successful, yet the more success we have, the less leisure time to enjoy it. Have we the ER's found the Holy Grail? - I think so!

I searched Google for about 20 minutes to find this speech to no avail. If anyone can find this speech, I'd like to read it. A lot of wisdom, I think!

 

[Mr._johngalt]

The irony of Garfield's life is that he no sooner
achieved the highest job in the country that he was
assassinated. Thus he personally never got to fully test
his theory about leisure time. I happen to agree
with him.

Another irony is that he was replaced by his VP,
Chester A. Arthur (a distant relative) who found the job of President a horrible experience. He couldn't wait to leave. When his term ended, he left and died shortly
afterward.

JG