Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall is winning me over as a season. Gratitude and gravy, family and friends, a time to reflect on blessings and lollygag. 

As author, Holocaust survivor, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel said, “For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her face.”

I’m grateful for old friends and new friends, thank you. 

Book Recommendations 

Did you see the movie Searching for Bobbie Fisher? The child prodigy who was the subject, Joshua Waitzken, burned out on chess and turned to martial arts. He became a champion, again.  In a previous blog post I said I was going to read his book. I’m glad I did.

The Art of Learning, an Inner Journey to Optimal Performance is the story of how Waitzken succeeded spectacularly in two seemingly different endeavors. The lessons learned are universal.

Sloane, enjoying eighth grade, read To Kill a Mockingbird for school. I’m re-reading it. Harper Lee’s novel is even better than I remember, working on many levels. Both the far right and the far left have tried to ban it so you know it’s an awesome book. 

Our family will be watching the movie this Thanksgiving at Urban Ocean even though Sloane thinks there is something wrong with B/W movies.

ML Law 

I’m blessed to represent good people, albeit in challenging circumstances.  

Recently I was pleased to resolve a case against Seattle for nearly two million dollars. The family wanted justice and also wanted the city to change their policies regarding a “blacklist” used in 911 call responses. We accomplished both goals.  

Now I’m moving forward against Tacoma in a case where my client was paralyzed in a preventable shooting.  

You can read more about these cases and more on our website blog and media section.  

My case against Boeing for the crash of the Boeing 737 Max 8 in Ethiopia may finally be headed for trial in 2024. I’ll keep you posted on our firm website or firm Facebook page.  

I’ve been commenting on legal issues for various media, including KIRO radio and KING 5 where I’m currently on a panel discussing the Manny Ellis trial. Oh, and ML Law has a Google business page. I’d appreciate your review, thanks.  

In my New Year Newsletter, I’ll be sharing some firm announcements. Let suspense build. 

Band Camp 

Martial artist Bruce Lee said, “Instead of buying your children all the things you never had, you should teach them all the things you never knew.”  

For example, I’ve taught Sloane about Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Cure, Talking Heads, The Smiths, Jane’s Addiction, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, The Replacements, X, U2, R.E.M. – Sloane has hung out with Peter Buck in his guitar room – and the band we will seeing in Seattle on November 26: Depeche Mode. See you there? 

In response, Sloane made me listen to Taylor Swift. Did you know Tay Tay did a cover of “American Girl?” Give it a listen. Seriously. 

China Syndrome 

Finally, Chelsea is back after two weeks in China where she traveled with Bates college students on a tour. Sloane and I did not burn down the house. We dined out.  

Thank you to everyone who wished Chelsea and me a happy 16th anniversary. We will hoist a toast to you and all of our friends and family this Thanksgiving.  

Thanks for reading.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. At least that’s how I feel today.

This is the day to do what we should do every day: give thanks, acknowledge our blessings, live with gratitude.

Marcus Aurelius begins Book One of Meditations with a gratitude list. Specifically, he thanks people who taught him virtue and helped shape his character.

For example, from Diognetus he learned “not to busy myself about trifling things.” Or, as David Lee Roth of Van Halen put it more than eighteen hundred years later, “Don’t sweat the little shit. And it’s all little shit.”

Aurelius views gratitude as medicine for all that inevitably challenges and chips away at us in life.

In the final quarter of the book, he advises, “All you need are these: certainty of judgment in the present moment; action for the common good in the present moment; and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way.”

Books

Consistent with the theme of gratitude, I recommend Ikigai: the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles.

Ikigai, roughly translated, means “a reason for being,” or something akin to that. One reviewer said it means, “A reason to jump out of bed each morning.” I found it to be primarily about finding one’s mission in life. Whatever it means, the book is simple, short, and wise.

Many of the ideas and practices you will likely already know. Some may be new. Almost everything is useful.

Two other books I recommend are cited and discussed by the authors, Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl and Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

I think I spelled the Mihaly’s surname name right? Flow is dense and brilliant and I may revisit it in a future blog post.

On the fiction front, I’m starting City of the Sun by David Levien, co-writer of Rounders with Brian Koppleman. Many years ago I reviewed David’s first novel, which turned out to be the harbinger of a remarkable career.

David and Brian currently have an awesome show on Showtime, Billions. I don’t watch TV but I’m watching this series. It’s smart and cool and completely absorbing.

Movies

Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin killed somewhere between three and ten million people in a man-made Ukrainian famine. Released in 2019 and available on Amazon, Mr. Jones tells the story of free lance journalist Gareth Jones who tried to expose the slaughter and, to a lesser extent, the story of New York Times journalist Walter Duranty who tried to cover it up.

Jones and Duranty square off in a competition between truth and fake news before the term entered our lexicon. George Orwell, the author of Animal Farm, appears as a minor character and perfect framing device.

Polish director Agnieszka Holland does a remarkable job of capturing the look and feel of the time and place with a low budget. She has won awards for her previous films about the Nazi holocaust.

I won’t tell you what happens to Jones. You can watch the movie.

On a more upbeat note, my ten-year-old daughter Sloane and I are psyched this holiday season to watch Elf with Will Ferrell for the eleventh time.

Ikigai

I’m pleased to report I’m rolling on a new project, albeit slowly. I’m feeling the same buzz I had writing Never Mind Nirvana. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, life and law are also keeping me busy as I work at home during the pandemic. For more frequent updates, join my Lawyer Mark Lindquist Facebook Group and follow my Author & Attorney Facebook page if you haven’t already. I’ve also been posting on Instagram, my preferred social media. I appreciate the comments and messages, thank you.

Finally, I’ve been advocating for justice and helping good people in a series of compelling cases. You can read more at my lawyer website.

I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, your own Ikigai, and a season of gratitude all year long.

Thanks for reading.

Happy Thanksgiving. Christmas is coming. ‘Tis the season for gratitude and books.

Books are, of course, the best gifts. While a bottle of single malt Islay Scotch is nothing to scoff at, liquor is still second to literature. I’m defining literature broadly to include “the entire body of writings of a specific language, period, people.”

Along with miscellaneous updates and life lessons, the main mission of this blog is to recommend good books and movies. This is especially true in the shopping season.

Stillness is the Key

My first recommendation of the season is non-fiction by the author of The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday. His latest, Stillness is the Key, is the perfect antidote to the toxic noise of our modern world.

“Stillness is what aims the archer’s arrow. It inspires new ideas. It sharpens perspective and illuminates connections…. Stillness is the key to, well, just about everything.”

Blending stories from Marcus Aurelius to Buddha, from Winston Churchill to Confucius, from artists to athletes, there is no better book about self-mastery, discipline, and focus.

If you are a friend of mine, you may be receiving a signed copy for Christmas. Don’t bank on this though. Buy it for yourself. Buy it for friends.

On the subject of toxic noise antidotes, you should also read Ryan’s first book, a smart study of media, Trust Me, I’m Lying. The epigraph by novelist, screenwriter, and film critic James Agee sums it up. “The very blood and semen of journalism, on the contrary, is a broad and successful form of lying. Remove that form of lying and you no longer have journalism.” Agee, a posthumous Pulitzer Prize winner, penned this decades before Twitter and Facebook.

Sex and Murder

My second recommendation is also non-fiction, but reads like a top drawer novel. Star Spangled Scandal: Sex, Murder, and the Trial that Changed America by Chris DeRose proves once again history can be entertaining and edifying.

With a title like that, you do not need a synopsis or quote. The book is as good as it sounds.

Chris is a fellow author/lawyer. I’m a booster. As Robert Pirsig, the author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, said, “Quality tends to fan out like waves.” I do my part to help.

Trial Lawyer Literature

My third recommendation has a more limited audience. On Becoming a Trial Lawyer is about exactly that. The author, Rick Friedman, a Seattle trial lawyer, sees trial work as “an inward journey” of “applied spirituality.” I concur.

I am halfway into Friedman’s book as I blog this. Later I will likely follow-up with more. Meanwhile, I am far enough along to recommend it to any lawyer who is a learner. It’s a cross between memoir and handbook for elevating personal and professional performance.

As someone who has read everything on trial tactics I can find, I feel qualified to recommend Friedman’s short book as one of the best. Power-to-weight ratio is perfect.

Fans of Ryan Holiday may notice some philosophical and practical similarities with Friedman. For example, both appreciate the power of observation and the advantage of detaching from opponents .

If you’re a lawyer, buy it for yourself or a colleague. If you’re not a lawyer, buy it for a lawyer you like. Amazon is your best bet.

#BooksAreBestGifts

Next blog post I will recommend novels to those who still read these artifacts of literacy. God bless you.

Reading novels increases empathy. The Brazilian government figured this out. NPR did a cool story about how Brazilian prisoners reduce their sentences by reading fiction and how this actually makes sense.

In prison or not, books are the best gifts.

Lion Air Update

Finally, stay tuned for developments on our lawsuit against Boeing for the 737 Max disasters. As I discussed with CNN, we recently settled four of our cases. That leaves 42 more.

Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times wrote a good story about the human cost of the Lion Air crash. The story features a client I get to know quite well.

Whether we get there by settlement or trial, our goal is justice for our clients, accountability for Boeing, and safer skies for all. The fight goes well. I’ll keep you posted.

Public Speaking

I recently spoke to the Gig Harbor Republican Club about our cases against Boeing, personal injury law, and Indonesia. As a Democrat, I appreciate there are still patches of bipartisanship and common sense in our divisive times.

After cutting back in 2019, I am going to be available to talk to service groups more often in 2020.

Live with Gratitude

In this season of gratitude, I feel blessed by my work, family, and friends. Thank you all.

And thank you for reading.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of all the virtues, but the parent of all others.” Marcus Cicero

Ladenburg, Strickland, Lindquist. Sounds like a law firm, but it’s actually the co-authors of an editorial on Tacoma, the city we are grateful for. We compare Tacoma’s past reputation with today’s reality. The future is bright.

I recently opened a medium.com account. This will serve as a one-stop shop for my beliefs on “literature, leadership, and life.” In other words, random dispatches from this endless contest of lightness versus darkness, truth versus lies, good versus bad. I’ll try to make sense of the rancorous chaos out there.

Thanks for reading.