The singing justice
On moving to LA, Broadway musicals, and what it means for high-profile people to be well-rounded
The most reliable way to the top in many occupations is often portrayed as a monomaniacal focus on that career success -- doing whatever it takes to continue climbing the ladder. Young attorneys are told to devote everything to becoming partners, actors move to Los Angeles and do whatever it takes to get by, and athletes endure grueling training and practice regimes to make it to the next league.
■ Yet it's not really good life advice. Everyone knows the adage that nobody ever laid on a deathbed wishing they'd spent more time at the office. Work is inevitably a big component of most people's lives, but it's hazardous to let it choke out choices that make for a more complete view of life.
■ Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson just got a chance to perform a cameo in a Broadway musical. The appearance fulfills a life-long aspiration, even if it's not a career pivot.
■ It's good for high-profile people to have well-rounded interests. It's good for regular people, too. Interests become sources of identity, and having a self-identity that takes the shape of a blanket woven from many different threads is a way to steer clear of becoming one-dimensional.
■ Different sources of identity can overlap, fill gaps, and even create conflicts and internal contradictions that we have to sort out. That's a healthy part of the human condition, especially if it helps one see the texture and color in others' humanity. We ought to beware those who want to be seen only in caricature as a single thing; either they're hiding things that should matter to them, or they're missing out on vital aspects of what should be a normal and complete life.
