A Thought for Kirk Douglas on His 100th Birthday

In a year that has cruelly claimed so many it is all the more delightful that Kirk Douglas has lived to see his 100th birthday.


Born Issur Danielovitch on December 9, 2016 to a family of Russian Jewish immigrants in Amsterdam, New York, he overcame poverty and anti-Semitism to become a world renowned actor and a global Ambassador for the United States. The intensity of Douglas' performances captured the public imagination in films such as Champion, Lust for Life and Spartacus and would be carried forward by his sons especially Michael who became equally successful in his own right. In 1996, Douglas sustained a stroke which impaired his ability to speak but has not impaired his spirit.


Although a lifelong liberal Democrat, Kirk Douglas is above all else an American and has proudly promoted our country's ideals around the world at the behest of both Democrat and Republican administrations.


So you know it's extraordinary when Douglas saw fit to warn us of what could come. In an op-ed for The Huffington Post back in September, Douglas did just that. Although he did not mention Donald Trump by name, his message was clear:


Until now, I believed I had finally seen everything under the sun.  But this was the kind of fear-mongering I have never before witnessed from a major U.S. presidential candidate in my lifetime. 


I have lived a long, good life. I will not be here to see the consequences if this evil takes root in our country.  But your children and mine will be.  And their children.  And their children’s children.


All of us still yearn to remain free. It is what we stand for as a country.  I have always been deeply proud to be an American. In the time I have left, I pray that will never change.  In our democracy, the decision to remain free is ours to make.


My 100th birthday is exactly one month and one day after the next presidential election. I’d like to celebrate it by blowing out the candles on my cake, then whistling “Happy Days Are Here Again.”


Unfortunately, Kirk Douglas will not be able to make that wish today. But he can take comfort in the long successful life he's had with a marriage that has lasted 62 years and counting. He can also take comfort in the fact that there are many people who will heed his words and do everything in our power to ensure America remains free and strong enough to overcome the evil that comes our way whatever form it might take.


If you have the chance, I strongly recommend that you read Douglas' 1988 autobiography The Ragman's Son. I read it at the time of its release, but found it a couple of months ago in a second hand bookstore here in Boston. Knowing Douglas would soon turn 100, I thought it opportune to read it again. In re-reading it, Kirk Douglas affirms that through good times and bad that the key to a long life is having a lust for life.