This World and Me

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020) The evening of Friday, September 18, 2020, began normally. I attended my virtual class on the history of German literature and had just finished dinner when my phone vibrated, indicating a new message from a friend. It was one of my roommates, who had just sent the following message to a group chat: "Wtf". For a moment, there was an air of confusion; my roommate wasn't sure if what he had just read on the Internet was accurate, and none of us were sure what he was talking about. Then, a few seconds later, the fog of doubt cleared away as my roommate sent three small yet devastating words: "RBG passed away". In her eulogy of a late colleague , Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recounted how Justice Antonin Scalia was once asked how he and Ginsburg could be friends, given their nearly diametrical opposite opinions on the law. Scalia had answered: "I attack ideas. I don’t attack people." Her remarkable friendships with even those...

"Rey. May the Force be with you." —General Leia Organa, portrayed by Carrie Fisher (1956–2016), the last lines of dialogue of Star Wars: The Force Awakens , 2015

The brilliant To Kill a Mockingbird had a profound impact on American literature. Its powerful themes of empathy and prejudice remain painfully relevant today and will remind and inspire us for generations to come. Rest in peace, Harper Lee.

I admired this man's devotion to the Constitution of the United States and the passion with which he defended it. The candor and wit he brought to every proceeding have undoubtedly shaped the ways we interpret the law today. Rest in peace, Justice Antonin Scalia. The image at the top was originally taken in 2010 by Stephen Masker, who has made it freely available under the CC BY 2.0 Generic license . It was adapted by me, and the adapted version is available under the same license.