Why New London

The unitiated and the ignorant may wonder why a philosopher would choose New London, Conn. as his home and muse. Those in the know will be inclined to ask why not.

Broken down to its Greek root words, philosophy doesn't mean love of knowledge. It means love of wisdom. True knowledge is gained through practice. Wisdom is the same but better. Knowledge can be faked by reading books. Wisdom can only be earned by experience.

New Londoners origninally kept gardens while earning their income from seaborne traffic through the city's harbor. Even before the first row was plowed, New London's soil was fallow and rocky. New London's wealth ultimately derives from its citizens' ingenuity.

New London is a tiny city. It is three and a half miles long and a mile and a half at its widest. 26,000 people make up New London's permanent community. The city is home to two private colleges and the US Coast Guard Academy, the region's hospital, churches, cemetaries, parks, public schools, and city-owned parking lots. Amtrak seperates the city center from the waterfront that provides New London with its soul and clean air.

26,000 people live in three square miles of occuable land. If this isn't city living, nothing else is. New London is a miniature Manhattan, with all the issues and struggles but none of the financing and glamor that label implies.

If men and women are social animals, New London provides ample proving ground for them to test their mettle. Success in New London opens expanses toward farther horizons. Sometimes though, it is good to be a medium sized fish in a small pond.