Tom Fisher is " famous" this morning ( front page, Nov. 20) for a sad reason - a memorable quote: " I'll die anyway ", the 17 year old said in defense of his cigarette addiction. " I might as well die doing what I love doing " . I'm amazed - the pleasure is that great !
With that kind of courage , he might be worthy of a more meaningful death - perhaps dying for his country in the next " good war " .
Here we see hedonism rising above the instinct to live . Not only to live but to live a life that mattered .
A kid with no sense of REALITY does not really KNOW that he is going to die the way a middle aged guy KNOWS for sure that he'll die - and soon enough : just be PATIENT you inveterate readers of obituaries !
I blame Hollywood movies for inspiring kids to smoke. Just last night I observed that every kid in the popular movie " Stand by me " based on a Stephen King story smoked . A multi-million dollar advertisement for the tobacco industry.
I thank the old " Reader's Digest " for warning me about the evils of smoking . When I was Tom Fisher's age I read " I am Joe's Lungs ". How many kids are addicted to READING ?
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Ron