From a WaPo story today on the writing of the Kennedy memoir due out Tuesday:

Ted Kennedy Jr. told "60 Minutes" that reading the book has been emotional for him. "What I think I would like this country to understand about my dad -- that even though he really felt he needed to hold it together throughout some really difficult experiences, he was kind of able to let it out in this book," Kennedy Jr. says.Referring to a passage in the book, the younger Kennedy said he was struck by what Joseph Kennedy said to his youngest child: "Teddy, you can live a serious life or a nonserious life. I'll love you just the same, whatever you choose. But, you know what? I'm a busy guy. And I'm gonna do everything I can to help you. But you have to make that choice."My father had the same conversation with me . . . about our lives and really our obligation to really make something of ourselves," Kennedy Jr. said. ". . . Yes, bad things have happened to us. But we've been given incredible advantages."

I think the "serious/nonserious" framework is a good way to look at the main decision facing people today, young and old. And the problem, in my view, is that too many choose the latter option. Or many don't even realize they need to make that choice, and that "nonserious" seems to be the default setting.And, I would add, to me Jon Stewart is eminently serious, for example. And thank goodness.