This I Believe: New England

After almost 15 years on The Public’s Radio, This I Believe - New England draws to a close this week. Frederic Reamer shares these final thoughts on the series.

Years ago famed sociologist Erving Goffman wrote about a concept he dubbed "impression management.

So many of us, perhaps all of us, do our best to cope with the rush of life.

Every one of us has a story - make that lots of stories - that define who we are.

Identity.

Life is full of contradictions and inconsistencies, often in those moments when we yearn for clarity.

Several years ago, political scientist Robert Putnam wrote a compelling book with the intriguing title Bowling Alone.

Dying, of course, is a universal phenomenon.

If we’re fortunate, we have genuine heroes in our lives.

So many of us are facing hard truths about racism in our country – both its painful legacy and its disturbing contemporary manifestations.