I’ve watched Jeopardy off and on for years with my dad, so it was inevitable that I’d read this one and I’m so glad I did. Alex Trebek had always seemed like such a private person, so it’s kind of incredible that he decided to write this in his last year. Favourite parts ahead.
“Another explanation for the show’s popularity is that Americans are so very competitive. It’s almost primal. That competition exists within families too. Brothers and sisters. Children and parents. And grandparents - we have material that probably only grandparents, people of that generation, may know the correct response to. The information is a little arcane, a little out of the mainstream for the kids. And vice versa. There’s information regarding pop culture that the parents and grandparents don’t know. So there’s something for everybody. And for one or two moments - these opportunities to shine exist on our program. That makes you feel good about yourself and inspires a little bit of awe in the other members of the family who maybe never looked at you as being particularly sharp. “Grandpa’s old and he’s crotchety, but damn he knows a lot about geography!””
“Interestingly, the longer I live with the cancer, the more my definition of toughness has changed. I used to think not crying meant you were tough. Now I think crying means you’re tough. It means you’re strong enough to be honest and vulnerable. It means you’re not pretending. And not pretending, being willing to let your guard down and show people how you truly feel and admit that you’re a wuss, is one of the toughest things a person can do.”
“I don’t like to use the terms battling or fighting when talking about cancer. It suggests that there are only two outcomes: “winning” and “losing.” If you don’t get well, then you are a “loser.” If you have decided to stop treatment, you have “given up.” That’s nonsense. I understand why we as human beings choose to see cancer in these terms. It’s easier to comprehend and less scary if we see the experience as a boxing match and the disease as an opponent who might be subdued by sheer force of will and determination. However, cancer doesn’t get demoralized. It doesn’t require a pep talk from its trainer between rounds. It is a fight, that’s true. There are days when I feel like Mike Tyson just dropped to the canvas by a Buster Douglas uppercut. But it is by no means a fair fight. Not even close. It is simple biology. You get treatment and you get better. Or you don’t. And neither outcome is an indication of your strength as a person. Yet I believe in the will to live. I believe in the power of positivity. I believe in optimism. I believe in hope.”
“Am I a believer? Well, I believe we are all part of the Great Soul - what some call God. We are God, and God is us. We are one with our maker. How do I know this? It’s not that I know it. It’s that I feel it. The same way that when I go to Africa I feel that is where I came from. The same way I feel that Jean is my soul mate. I feel it in my gut.”
Great read, will miss this man a lot.