The recent horrific tragedy of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s murders in West Hollywood is a stark reminder of how paper-thin the margin is between seeming to have everything and having nothing at all.
Those we envy and those we pity can trade places in an instant. We spend much of our lives chasing wealth, comfort and social standing, yet we remain only a heartbeat away from losing it all.
Fortunate are those who have a roof over their heads, food on the table and a few close friends. If we possess these things, we have already achieved nearly everything a human life can reasonably promise. The rest is garnish — pleasant, but hardly essential.
Still, we find ourselves drawn to the glamour of the rich and famous: the beautiful people with villas in far-off places, elite schools and others paid to absorb the drudgery of daily life. From a distance, it looks like a world entirely different.
But it isn’t. We are all suspended by the same fragile thread, from the wealthiest elite to the beggar on the street, from the kings who ruled the land to those clothed in secondhand. We are children of the same earth, bound by the same limits and subject to the same fate.
So envy sparingly. What dazzles today can vanish tomorrow. In the end, none of us is as far from loss, or as close to contentment, as we like to believe.
Scott Thompson, Bloomington, Indiana
Don’t bear violent fan behavior
As a die-hard Bears fan and season ticket holder for more than 25 years, I echo the excitement and joy of playing — and beating — our hated rivals, the Green Bay Packers, in a meaningful game last month. It was a spectacularly memorable ending.
However, my excitement was tempered by news that a dear friend, a Packers fan who lives nearby and had been tailgating with us in the Adler Planetarium lot, was assaulted by out-of-control — and likely drunk— Bears fans before the game.
After my friend left our tailgate party an hour before the game to get home in time to watch the game, two Bears fans yelled “Packers suck” then charged him, knocking him down so hard that he suffered a gash to the head, causing a subdural hematoma.
At least one passerby helped my friend get up after the assault, but most walked away without offering any assistance. The criminals who carried out the attack just walked inside Soldier Field, another display of their careless cowardice.
Rather than watching the game at home, my friend watched in a hospital emergency room with his wife —a Bears fan — in between CT scans, staples to his head and tests.
My friend’s only “crime” against these Bears fans was wearing a Packers jersey under his jacket. Being a fan of an opposing team should not be a risk factor for an unprovoked, potentially life-threatening assault.
We’re better than that, or we should be.
I’m a passionate Bears fan and support good-natured ribbing of opposing fans. That’s part of the fun of the Bears-Packers rivalry. But there’s no need for unprovoked violence and criminal conduct against an opposing team’s fans — even Packers fans.
As happy and excited as I was after the thrilling game, I was also embarrassed that two of our fans stooped to this level and concerned that my friend was violently assaulted for simply being a Packers fan.
Rob DiDomenico, Lemont
Better Trump stays asleep than awake
Over the last few months, there have been reports that President Donald Trump comes to the office late, occasionally dozes during meetings and retires early from his official duties.
In over 300 days, Trump has declared a national emergency; pardoned thousands of criminals; deported thousands of undocumented immigrants; exceeded the constitutional powers of his office while encroaching on those reserved for Congress; destroyed the White House’ Rose Garden and East Wing; sparked states to impose new redistricting maps favoring Republicans; dispatched troops to American cities; ordered the murders of over 100 Venezuelan sailors without evidence of their crimes; appointed himself the head of the Kennedy Center; publicly praised and consorted with foreign leaders considered murderers by most; proudly ordered the FBI and Justice Department to investigate and prosecute his enemies; restored the Confederacy to a place of honor; blackmailed our nation’s universities; forced some major law firms to do penance for “their crimes”; ended the careers of top-ranked military leaders; squeezed billionaires and large corporations for donations to his pet causes for an understood quid pro quo; promoted policies and agendas to enrich his family; insulted reporters; ignited trade wars; upended our health care, education and environmental systems; threatened lawsuits to enrich himself and disparaged former political friends.
I’m thrilled that Trump sleeps during meetings and retires early, as I shudder to think what further destruction he could wreak if he were more awake.
Paul L. Newman, Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Proud Garfield Ridge resident
It is true that everyday noise and pollution are part of living near Midway Airport, a fact that residents who choose to live there should be well aware of. And yes, some areas have eyesore vacant lots, and those property owners should be held accountable for the upkeep of said space.
I hope Chicago area residents, including Sun-Times readers, don’t get the wrong impression that all of Garfield Ridge is not walkable. We have the best of both worlds: Ten minutes away from the airport and an extremely walkable location off of Archer Avenue. At one point I owned a car for 10 years that only had 30,000 miles on it when I gave it up.
Marilyn Gilroy, Garfield Ridge