The Book that had a BIG impact on Kennedy's Life

In his book American Values, RFK Jr. talks about how his father gave him a copy of The Plague, by Camus. 

The excerpt below is from this article in People Magazine. RFK Jr. says:

“When I was 14, and [my father] was struggling with his decision to run for the presidency, he handed me a copy of Camus’s classic The Plague, and told me, with unusual urgency, to read it,” Kennedy tells PEOPLE. “It was the story of a doctor wandering home to home treating bubonic plague patients in a quarantined North African city. The doctor goes about this hopeless business quietly, without fanfare, knowing that his struggle against death is mainly fruitless and that his own demise is the likelihood.”

Kennedy adds, “Despite their apparent futility, [the doctor’s] small acts of moral courage give his life its purpose and somehow bring order to the larger universe.”

Young Bobby's Dad gave him this book the same year he died. It was almost as if he saw something special in his son, and knew that he had the potential to become a strong leader and do great things for the world.

This book seems to have had a big influence on Kennedy, who continually strives to do the right thing for humankind. One example of this is how he defended his cousin for a murder he didn't commit. RFK wasn't particularly close with this cousin, but he felt compelled to defend him because he knew the overwhelming evidence of his innocence needed to be brought to light

RFK and JFK

Despite the threats against RFK, or perhaps because of them, RFK Jr. explains that his father continued to believe in the lessons taught by existential writers, his Catholic faith, and Greek philosophers.

“My father’s last campaign seemed, from its outset a lost cause, but he was genuinely happy for the first time since losing his brother,” Kennedy tells PEOPLE. With a reference to Sisyphus, the king in Greek mythology who is sentenced to push a rock up a hill for all eternity, Kennedy went on: “I think my father wanted me to know that satisfaction in life comes from pushing the stone up the hill, even when all the odds and the destinies oppose you. And sometimes you might prevail. He loved Emerson’s observation that ‘If a single man plant himself upon his own ideals, and there abides, the whole wide world will come round to him.’”

I think this video is a classic example of how Bobby Kennedy Jr. just keeps on fighting, even when the corrupted democratic party makes it nearly impossible to do so. He still manages to keep a smile on his face!  I once heard him say that he decided one day, to never complain about anything (you can read more about that on THIS PAGE). It really is an admirable trait to have!

Lex Fridman did a podcast where he talks about the book, and why he recommends it.  I transcribed what he says, in the excerpts below, but you can watch the interview in the embedded youtube video of his Joe Rogan podcast interview, further down the page. 

"There's a book I recommend people read, by Albert Camus, called The Plague, that he wrote right after World War II. I don't know if you know who he is, he's an existentialist philosopher. Existentialists believed that, you know, you have to live like... life is absurd. Life is suffering. And there's no meaning to it all, you just have to live the moment, and take each moment as it comes, and live it to the fullest, kind of idea. So, he described this town that got overtaken by the plague, in the book the plague, and... kind of similar to bubonic plague, basically, similar characteristics... and writes about how everyone reacts in different ways. The main character is a doctor, who basically sees the absurdity of the suffering around him, that there's no meaning to it all. 

That's the thing about the virus, like with the Nazis, and with wars, there's an enemy, you can kind of trace back and understand what was happening, but the virus, it just seems like it comes out of nowhere, and it breaks the spine of the way we think of regular life. Like, some people try to cling on to regular life, as if nothing is happening. Which, by the way, it's kind of like what a lot of our society is doing right now. We're not yet... we haven't really felt the pain, yet. And hopefully we won't. 

But there's this kind of, calm before the storm, kind of period, and then some people become like, more religious, they start to search for the bigger meaning of life outside of their material possessions. And then, the doctor represents the idea that, no matter what, he gives himself fully to his craft of helping other human beings. And overall, there's this story that this idea that suffering is just part of life, and the only way.... 

There's a natural temptation, when there's cruelty and suffering all around you, to isolate yourself. And to withdraw from life, because anything you do in life is going to lead to suffering. You know, dating, like, if you get married, it's going to lead to suffering, because eventually you're going to lose the people you love. So there's a natural desire to withdraw.

But in fact what he found, the doctrine, what he saw around him, is that love and compassion... like, giving yourself fully to the love of other human beings, and to his community, is the only way to deal with that kind of suffering.  To me, it's a really profound story about love being the right response in a time of crisis, and a crisis that hits everybody. You want to kind of hide from it, but it's actually... where...  more suffering happens. So, it's a kind of profound book that I recommend people read."

Lex Fridman on Why You Should Read Albert Camus’ "The Plague"

Another video about Camu's book, The Plague:

Albert Camus - The Plague

I really hate the phrase "No good deed goes unpunished." Because, while sometimes it seems to be true and I can be tempted to mutter it, I really do believe it's important that we at least TRY to do the right thing, and to do good deeds despite the possible outcome. Even if we have to pay a price for it later on, overall, you will likely come out ahead if you stay the course and try to do good things for the world and humanity.

It's important to do good deeds, even if you don't see some kind of immediate reward for it. 

For me, the most memorable part of the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" was the part where Freddy Mercury's father tells him to "do good deeds." I can't find a clip of this part of the movie on YouTube, but I did find this meme pic to the left, on Melissa Adrouny MD's facebook page, and this cool post on Medium, by Giovanna Bonora.

Here is an excerpt from a post by Biovanna Bonora: 

While finding a favourable ground given the pivotal social role of charity in India, Parsi philanthropy was deeply rooted in the traditional values of this community: “Parsi, thy name is charity” is a common Indian expression that probably dates back to the time of the British Raj.

Even Mahatma Gandhi said “I am proud of my country, India, for having produced the splendid Zoroastrian stock, in numbers beneath contempt, but in charity and philanthropy, perhaps unequalled, certainly unsurpassed.”

In Zoroastrianism, poverty is a manifestation of evil in the world, to be actively fought through charity. Wealth is regarded as a positive force, especially when it comes to philanthropy but also for the general advancement of the society. The central teaching of this religion is: “Think good thoughts, speak good words, and do good deeds”.

And this teaching of “Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds” is what Freddie’s father, Bomi Bulsara, repeatedly recalls to his son Freddie in the film: the first time when he finds out that his son’s way of life is not as he expected. This is probably a fictionalized episode of the film, as in many interviews his family recalls how they supported Freddie’s career since the very beginning and -even if many accused Freddie Mercury of ignoring his heritage- his mother Jer Bulsara once told that “Freddie was a Parsee and he was proud of that”, even if “he wasn’t particularly religious.”

The second time, the teaching is spelled by his father when Freddie announces him that he will be performing with the Queen in the Live Aid concert, adding that no artist will be paid for joining this fundraising initiative.