Judith Jamison On Leaving Alvin Ailey Company

“For me, this is just part of the natural evolution of this company. Mr. Ailey told us that you must always turn around and look to see who is behind you so you can help them. Meaning, remember that there was someone who looked behind them and grabbed your hand and helped you. So we put our feet on the ground and come to understand who we are as human beings, and then we must turn around and help the next person.”

In Praise Of Boredom

“Are we too busy twirling through the songs on our iPods — while checking e-mail, while changing lanes on the highway — to consider whether we are giving up a good thing? We are most human when we feel dull. Lolling around in a state of restlessness is one of life’s greatest luxuries — one not available to creatures that spend all their time pursuing mere survival.”

When Is Dead Really Dead?

“Wary of the macabre suggestion that they are willing to exploit the dying for their organs, surgeons abide by a code known as the ‘dead donor rule,’ which forbids removing body parts from the living. Yet a few outspoken medical ethicists say the dead donor rule is broken all the time — and, perhaps even more surprising, that the rule itself should be abandoned.”

A World Of Cities (But To What End?)

“We have more big cities now than at any time in our history. In 1900, only 16 had a population of one million; now it’s more than 400. Not only are there more of them, they are larger than ever. In 1851, London had two million people. It was the largest city in the world by a long way, twice the size of Paris, its nearest rival. That version of London would seem like a village now.”