A Legacy Project

This is how professor Hoerneman explained diminishing marginal utility. “Let’s say you’re over at Berger’s, and you order a beer.” A joint near the college. Mentioning beer he immediately had our attention. “You pay for your beer and you enjoy it. In fact, you enjoy it so much, you order another one.  The second beer comes, same price, which you enjoy a little less. Sound familiar?” Yes, in fact it did. “Nevertheless, you order a third beer, which you now enjoy even less than the second, at the same price. You’re reaching the point of diminishing marginal utility. Same product, same cost, less value.”

It was fall 1970. I was taking econ at Delta College. My brother, two years ahead of me, had recommended the course. That fall I took econ, intro to business, freshman comp, intro to sociology, and political science, a full load. 

I drove over to the college every morning. The song I remember those hearing on the radio when I pulled into the Delta parking lot in my VW was “All Right Now,” by Free. On the seat behind me in the car was a pile of textbooks I would not read, 650 pages of econ, a 500 page introduction to business. Add the sociology and poli sci, it was 2000 pages.    

My brother’s plan was my plan: two years at the local community college, then two more at a four-year school to become a CPA. 

Did I want that? What did I want? What was I supposed to want?

One afternoon I passed a table in the commons area where I played pinochle some mornings instead of going to class. My sociology instructor was sitting at a table with some students. He invited me to sit down. He was explaining sociology—an impossible task. When I got up to leave he handed me a book. The title was Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am?

“You should read this,” he said.

“Why?” I said

Only I said, “WHY?”

I thought he meant I didn’t know who I was. When in fact he simply meant I should read that book.