OPEN DISCUSSION

It's fasinating how seven people can read the exact same book, and still bring such a variety of views to the table. Our book club read "The Long Walk," a story of escape from a Russian concentration camp, and came up with incredibly positive moral values from the group of prisoners' ordeal.

However, it also made me wonder how different this same discussion would have been if we had been a bit more of a variety - men, younger people (our group ranges from about mid-30's to 70's), non-Americans, lower-income (we're also pretty much upper middle-class).

Sometimes I think it would be a much greater experience if we had more of a variety - and sometimes it's simply nice to agree. The older I become, the more accustomed I become to associating with my 'regular' crowd. I argue to no end with my husband, but I also have come to expect nothing by 'we're going to disagree no matter what' between us.

Laziness? Yes, I agree.