Many people mistakenly equate obituaries with death notices, but, as we'll hear in this episode, obituaries are not tales of death; they are tales of life. They are the CliffsNotes of someone's identity and relevance. And as much as we know we shouldn't, we are drawn to them as mirrors, which we figuratively stand in front of and ask, "How does my life compare to this individual's?"

My guest today is Richard Goldstein. Since joining the New York Times in 1980, Richard worked as an editor and an obituary writer, focusing on figures from the military and sports world.