When life drowns out the sounds of aging

Also: Claudine Gay deserved better than this. So did Harvard [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  January 7, 2024 Dear Cog reader, Yesterday was my birthday. As a kid, I felt special because the anniversary of my birth fell on the 12th day of Christmas, aka Epiphany — a feast day in many Christian denominations. These days, Jan. 6 has different connotations for our country, but it’s still a big day for me. Maybe that’s doubly true because my birthday falls so close to the start of the new year, when everyone is full of good intentions and talking about fresh starts. I would like to tell you this state of collective mindfulness finds me on the threshold of middle age, but the actuarial truth is that I crossed over into that quieter phase of adulthood quite some time ago. It happened so gradually, so silently, that I didn’t even notice. Or maybe it wasn’t so silent. Maybe, as [T.M. Blanchet writes in a beautiful essay this week]( the sound of me aging was “drowned out by the raucous, joyous, maddening, frustrating, filthy, chaotic and exuberant noises of family life.” I definitely remember the days when I could hardly hear myself think, never mind find the space (or energy) to contemplate the passage of time and what comes next. So here I am: Another year older and, while not quite a whole year wiser, I did learn a few things during my 52nd year of life. I learned a circuitous career path can eventually lead you to your dream job (Hello, Cog!). That the melancholy of missing little kids who blindly adored me is outweighed by the joy of having adult kids who respect me. That there are far more than two sides to every story. Take for instance, Claudine Gay's resignation from Harvard this week, after months of controversy. This news dominated headlines because Harvard is a historic institution that holds a prominent place in the American imagination and because, [as Gay herself wrote in The New York Times]( what happened at Harvard is bigger than her. Gay’s resignation is tangled up in issues of race, politics, academics and influence. At Cog, we published two compelling essays on the topic. In the first, [Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Eileen McNamara contends that Gay’s ousting was never about plagiarism or antisemitism](. “Make no mistake: This is about the money,” she writes. In the second, [Harvard professors Alison Frank Johnson and Stephen M. Walt contend that Gay’s resignation sets a dangerous precedent for higher education](. “Autonomous, self-governing universities are a critical element of a vibrant, thriving democracy that welcomes multiple competing viewpoints and responsible debate,” they write. Thinking about what makes a democracy thrive seems especially fitting this week, the third anniversary of the U.S. Capitol attack and the first week of a presidential election year. But 2024 won’t be all about politics — we promise. We’ll continue to do what we’ve always done: share all kinds of stories that matter to you. Here’s to fresh starts and new perspectives. P.S.— Over the years, you've generously shared your stories with us — of love and loss, and everything in between. This month, we're helping WBUR collect love stories. Can you tell us about the love you feel for a friend, a partner, a parent or a pet in 45 seconds or less? Share it with us [here](. Kate Neale Cooper Editor, Cognoscenti [Follow]( Support the news  Must Reads [When mid-life feels like a series of impending catastrophes — ‘remember this’]( Like most people in their 50s, I’m no stranger to loss, writes T.M. Blanchet. Goodbyes are inevitable. But for the love of all things holy, does it really have to happen all at once? How much goodbyeing and circle-of-lifeing can a mom take in one fell swoop? [Read more.]( [When mid-life feels like a series of impending catastrophes — ‘remember this’]( Like most people in their 50s, I’m no stranger to loss, writes T.M. Blanchet. Goodbyes are inevitable. But for the love of all things holy, does it really have to happen all at once? How much goodbyeing and circle-of-lifeing can a mom take in one fell swoop? [Read more.]( [Ousting Claudine Gay from Harvard was always about the money]( The uproar over Claudine Gay was never about plagiarism or antisemitism, writes Eileen McNamara. It is about the corporatization of American higher education and the collapse of free speech on college campuses. [Read more.]( [Ousting Claudine Gay from Harvard was always about the money]( The uproar over Claudine Gay was never about plagiarism or antisemitism, writes Eileen McNamara. It is about the corporatization of American higher education and the collapse of free speech on college campuses. [Read more.]( [Claudine Gay deserved better than this. So did Harvard]( Whether Claudine Gay should have remained as the university's president or resigned is not the issue, write Harvard professors Alison Frank Johnson and Stephen M. Walt. How the decision was made is a threat to academic freedom. [Read more.]( [Claudine Gay deserved better than this. So did Harvard]( Whether Claudine Gay should have remained as the university's president or resigned is not the issue, write Harvard professors Alison Frank Johnson and Stephen M. Walt. How the decision was made is a threat to academic freedom. [Read more.]( [The Endangered Species Act, like the plants and animals it protects, is in danger of extinction]( Zygmunt Plater argued – and won – the first case under the Endangered Species Act to go before the U.S. Supreme Court. The story of the tiny snail darter is still important, he writes. [Read more.]( [The Endangered Species Act, like the plants and animals it protects, is in danger of extinction]( Zygmunt Plater argued – and won – the first case under the Endangered Species Act to go before the U.S. Supreme Court. The story of the tiny snail darter is still important, he writes. [Read more.]( [Health care in the US is too expensive. There are 3 ways to fix it]( Our nation’s medical talent laps the competition, writes Rich Barlow, but the way we pay for it stinks. Only three root-to-stem solutions will fix that. [Read more.]( [Health care in the US is too expensive. There are 3 ways to fix it]( Our nation’s medical talent laps the competition, writes Rich Barlow, but the way we pay for it stinks. Only three root-to-stem solutions will fix that. [Read more.]( What We're Reading "When it came to bending to the billionaire-backed right, or defending its own leader, a Black woman under relentless racist attack, Harvard chose the former." "[It’s Open Season On Black Academics]( The Harvard Crimson. "As fetal cells cross the placenta into maternal tissues, a small number of maternal cells migrate into fetal tissues, where they can persist into adulthood. ... Some researchers believe that people may be miniature mosaics of many of their relatives, via chains of pregnancy: their older siblings, perhaps, or their maternal grandmother, or any aunts and uncles their grandmother might have conceived before their mother was born." "[The Most Mysterious Cells in Our Bodies Don’t Belong to Us]( The Atlantic. "The pursuit of self-sufficiency and the coveted ideal of “independence” are deeply American. But, even if inadvertently, it’s fueling disabled individuals’ loneliness." "[The Pervasive Loneliness of Autism]( TIME. "This crisis was never about plagiarism or antisemitism." — Eileen McNamara, "[Ousting Claudine Gay from Harvard was always about the money]( ICYMI [Cognoscenti's best stories of 2023]( We published hundreds of essays and commentaries in 2023. These are the pieces that attracted the most readers, and took up the most space in our hearts and brains. [Read more.]( [Cognoscenti's best stories of 2023]( We published hundreds of essays and commentaries in 2023. These are the pieces that attracted the most readers, and took up the most space in our hearts and brains. [Read more.]( If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news     Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here.](  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.