“CBS This Morning” has an ongoing series called “Note to Self” where notable Americans read aloud a letter they have written to themselves as a baby. Congressman John Dingell, the Dean of the United States House of Representatives record Note to Self recently and, as a man who is 87 years old with a career in Congress the spans six decades, he has much to say and reflect upon.
He speaks about his time in Japan during World War II and how he learned the critical importance of social justice from his father who preceded him in Congress.
Congressman Dingell has been outspoken over the past few years about the deep divisions in Congress that prevent them from getting things done on behalf of Americans. In his “Note”, he tells his younger self of the importance of compromise:
From your time as a boy to your early years in Congress, you will stand on the shoulders of giants like your dad. And they’ll teach you that compromise is not a dirty word, but rather it is the honorable cornerstone of democracy.
It’s a powerful essay by a man I consider a friend. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:
Photo by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog
