So far, two heroes have loomed large in my life: Steve Jobs and George Carlin.
Carlin, regrettably, died earlier this year – – he was the subject of a blog posting I did which generated more emails than any other post I've ever done. I was reminded of the loss this morning, since the New York Times Sunday Magazine profiles the well-known whom have died in 2008. George Carlin's profile was the first. It states:
Offstage, he was a kind man who was unusually generous with young comedians. Liz Miele, who is now 23, was 15 when she wrote to 45 comics seeking advice. Two responded: Judd Apatow urged her to study English. Carlin called. He told her to keep writing, always. Four years later, they met for a soda in the lobby of the Carlyle, where he opened his laptop and showed her how he organized thousands of idea files. She sent him progress reports, and he cheered her on until two days before he died.
Carlin's values and philosophy resonate with my own thinking. I look up to him as an intellect, a master of words, and a brokenheartened idealist. He also is Exhibit A to my theory that the best Christians tend to be atheists. I still really miss him, and I'm sorry he didn't get to see the whole of 2008 unfold; I think he would have found some justice in it.
