The great Supreme Court Justice, RBG passed away at the weekend, aged 87.
Yes, the political ramifications are enormous, especially during an election year.
But whatever the politics may be, there is zero doubt that she was a great and remarkable woman.
And what made her great? Sure, there are a lot of factors, many of them just being at the right intersection of history at the right time. “Events, Dear Boy, Events”, to quote Harold Macmillan.
That being said, she had what we at Gapingvoid call “The Big Three” i.e. those three qualities you REALLY need to have a happy, interesting, and productive life.
1. Human Kindness. Compassion, empathy, and the capacity to love.
2. Smarts. Street smarts, book smarts, emotional smarts, there are many kinds of smarts, all interwoven. Sure, you can get by without them, but your road is a lot bumpier that way.
3. Grit. Being “nice” is nice, but it’s not enough. Sometimes stamina, discipline, and determination is required. Sometimes one needs to show one’s fangs.
You might not ever end up serving as a Supreme Court Justice, but if you can get the Big Three in your court, that’s a terrific place to start.
R. I. P. and God Bless.
Justice Ginsburg’s idea that change happens one step at a time is a timeless insight. Through the end of September, you can get this cool Zoom/Teams virtual background so you can trigger conversations anytime you want about how you want to change your world for just 4.99.
All proceeds go to Memorial Sloan Kettering one of the many organizations RBG supported.