To the Editor:
Re “What’s That You Find within the Boring Silence? It’s Your Attention,” by Chris Hayes (Opinion guest essay, Jan. 5):
I love Mr. Hayes’s candor and insights as he struggles with attempts at calming his mind.
His antidote for the distractions he experiences from the each day bombardment of electronic stimuli, nonetheless, appears to be other types of distraction.
He daydreams, is lost in thought while on his each day walk, finds mental projects to work on or allows his mind to wander while chopping wood. These activities little question provide him with joy and achievement. They rescue him from boredom and idle distraction, but do they really quiet the mind?
Although Mr. Hayes mentions prayer, meditation, and other spiritual and psychological practices as inner disciplines to quiet distraction, he acknowledges that his mind is simply too restless and unsettled to seek out these practices of help.
But such spiritual practices are only what are needed.
The challenge is that such practices require an inner discipline, patience and perseverance which can be lacking in our world of fast gratification. They provide a path to step out of our tangled web of thoughts and emotions and right into a space of tranquillity and inner peace.
Paul Goldberg
Arlington, Mass.
To the Editor:
As an individual, parent and grandparent, I even have at all times disallowed the word “boredom” — it’s a curse word. Kids feeling lost can draw, write, read, have a look at, play something. For those who’re an adult, daydream about something, think something.
Entertain yourself; enjoy yourself with that magnificent organ you have got called your brain.
Margot Head
Lew Beach, N.Y.
To the Editor:
Chris Hayes’s essay struck a profound chord with me. I take an early-morning walk on daily basis, accompanied by our dog, The Scooter. At my wife’s insistence, I carry my iPhone. I’m 80, and he or she worries about me. While this “window to the world” is at all times in my pocket, I resist the urge to take heed to the news, podcasts or music. As a substitute, as Mr. Hayes suggests, I exploit those precious 45 minutes to reflect and let my thoughts wander.
Because the onset of Covid, I’ve committed to writing at the very least one journal entry on daily basis, without fail. My walks consistently provide a wealth of fabric, and after I return home, I’m desperate to dive into my laptop.
Most individuals assume that these walks are primarily for The Scooter’s profit, but I’m convinced that I gain way more from them than he does. I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t mind.
Henry Von Kohorn
Princeton, N.J.
Evasive Answers at Cabinet Hearings
To the Editor:
The interviews of Trump cabinet picks being conducted by the Senate are a disheartening farce. They consistently fail to reply straightforward questions, recite preprogrammed phrases, change the topic and say whatever they think will advance their appointments.
But ultimately, none of it really matters because once in office they, like recent Supreme Court nominees, are free to recant whatever they said in those hearings and to act in a contrary manner. What a waste of time.
Lawrence Weisman
Westport, Conn.
To the Editor:
Re “Bondi Evades Questions, but Guarantees No Politics” (news article, Jan. 16):
What a shame that Pam Bondi, our likely next attorney general, couldn’t utter the word “lost” when asked if Donald Trump lost the election to President Biden. The fear of Mr. Trump’s retribution looms large over the complete Republican Party.
How can the electorate trust that those entrusted to be loyal to the Structure will uphold the rule of law? Time will tell.
Kenneth Olshansky
San Rafael, Calif.
Politicizing Aid for Los Angeles
To the Editor:
Re “Gavin Newsom Criticizes Republicans for ‘Politicizing’ California Wildfires” (news article, nytimes.com, Jan. 15):
So House Speaker Mike Johnson wants to position “conditions” on California if it wants any emergency funds to take care of this human catastrophe. In fact, it’s possible that Democratic officials made mistakes, but the most important error is one which each parties are guilty of, and that’s failing to treat climate chaos because the worldwide disaster that it’s.
Scientists are telling us some ways to reduce the fuel available to wildfires, to create latest land use policies, to rebuild where possible in latest ways that may save lives. But I don’t hear Mr. Johnson calling for conditions on money for red states where these visionary proposals are being ignored.
He’s floating the concept of punishing all of the people of Los Angeles because a few of their elected leaders are Democrats. Is that this what we would like America to be? A spot where victims of natural or unnatural disasters can get lifesaving aid only in the event that they voted a certain way?
For those who voted for Donald Trump, and you wish all Americans to be helped when disaster strikes, please contact Mr. Johnson and tell him to “do unto others, as you’ll have them do unto you.”
Phyllis Hasbrouck
Dunn, Wis.
Rebuilding to Reduce Fire Risks
To the Editor:
Re “Wildfire Evacuees Scrambling to Find Shelter” (front page, Jan. 15):
It’s time to think ahead. We are able to see that a fireplace pushed by 100-mile-an-hour winds will destroy all the things in its path. The one method to stop this devastation from happening again is to remove the things that burn. Low-vegetation landscaping and noncombustible housing are the answer.
You may’t do that on a voluntary basis; all houses and property in the world have to comply with the regulations. Now that all the things has burned, it’s the best time to implement “no fires” areas. All houses should be product of noncombustible materials and all landscapes will need to have minimal vegetation.
Homeowners will save with vastly reduced fire insurance costs and lower water bills. Knowing that your own home could never burn is an additional benefit.
Allen L. Wenger
Boise, Idaho
Ex-Presidents, Unite
To the Editor:
Could now be the time for former President George W. Bush to rejoin the national conversation? Is now the time for our former presidents to seek out common ground in service to our country?
America’s democracy and discourse have fundamentally modified since Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama served as president. We’ve lost former President Jimmy Carter and the moral center he occupied.
Couldn’t these great leaders discover a method to work together and pick up that mantle? Perhaps start with a joint exhibit at their presidential libraries focused on an optimistic vision of our future. Perhaps benefit from the brand new ways the body politic gets its information and debates our future.
I hope that the harmony they showed us at Mr. Carter’s funeral was the beginning, not the top, of their shared legacy within the service of the good American experiment.
David M. Rodman
Acton, Mass.
