Robert Waller at 50 - Living and Daily Practice of the Liberal Arts (Episode #31, 3 Apr. 2021)

In this episode, I discuss the awesomeness of Iowan Robert Waller through his essay, "The Turning of 50", an essay in this non-fiction book, "One Good Road is Enough."  He released One Road in 1989, just three years before his phenomenal best seller, "The Bridges of Madison County."  Waller seamlessly wove so many threads into his dynamic life: business, math, music, emotion, logic, and of course, writing, something he did on the side of his career as an academic in the business college at the University of Northern Iowa.   Waller sold over 60 million books with Bridges and made a Madison County a literary destination, much in the same way that Twain made a Hannibal a permanent stop in the American literary trail.  He did that by following his passion and by living and breathing the liberal arts in everything he did.     I share a personal connection to Waller through a high school English teacher, a moment that significantly changed my life.  I also discuss exuberant stoicism, the joy that comes with the acknowledgement of our mortality, the driving force to live to the fullest while we are here.  I thought of Waller as the embodiment of what liberal arts means and the power it can give in helping us to weave threads into the fabric of our own lives.     Waller represents not schmaltz or sentimentality as some critics have suggested.  He lived in unity with the inner voice, damn what the critics thought of him.    Next week, we will be featuring Brad Lund, a master polymath, actor, lawyer, programmer, comedian, musician, philosopher, and incredibly talented life force.   We will discuss the power of liberal arts and give our views on the past, present and future of liberal arts education for small colleges.