One Small Voice: Precious lessons taught to us by RBG

by Lynn Mandaville

It’s been a very long time since anything brought sudden, hot tears to my eyes.

But that’s what happened last night when my son burst into the living room ‘mid a rerun of The Big Bang Theory and said with urgency and alarm “Ruth Bader Ginsberg just died!”

We paused the TV, and sat in silence, a mixture of sadness and concern filling our thoughts.

And as people began to gather outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., we began to examine what Ginsberg’s death meant to the country.

Little Joan Ruth Bader was born in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of Jewish immigrants.  Her father was from Ukraine, her mother from Austria.

The family was of modest means, and although Ruth (as she came to be called because there were so many Joans in her elementary school class) was an outstanding student, the family opted to send her brother on to college instead of her.

Anyone who cares to can google Ginsberg to review the many and varied accomplishments she piled up during her life.

And anyone who cares to linger on her life can discern which of her accomplishments were most important.

Obviously, being appointed the second woman on the United States Supreme Court stands out.  Ginsberg had a remarkable career in jurisprudence leading up to the appointment.  Her greatest achievements were in the areas of gender discrimination and abortion rights.

We know that Ginsberg was important as a liberal judge on the Court, and that she was a talented writer in presenting verdicts both in favor of decisions and in dissenting points of view.

But I think what she will be remembered for most of all was her incredible strength and fortitude as she continued to do her duty as Supreme Court Justice all the while her small body was betraying her.

Ruth was a tiny woman.  Only four foot eleven and probably less than one hundred pounds, she had a sharp mind and a fierce sense of justice.  She excelled at understanding the rule of law, and she stood firm in her own interpretation of the law as laid down in the Constitution.

Ruth was not an abrasive woman.  She knew the value of well-considered words, and she knew the value of showing respect for those with whom she disagreed.

Ruth was plagued by cancer throughout her later years.

Her first bout was with colon cancer in 1999.  Despite treatment through surgery, chemo, and radiation therapy that left her weakened, she didn’t miss a single day on the bench.

It was then that she began work with a personal trainer, working with him twice a week in the justices-only gym.  (Was it only about a year ago that Stephen Colbert joined her on his show in one of her workouts?  Into her 80s she could do twenty push-ups!)

In 2009 Ruth faced surgery again for pancreatic cancer, and later that year had a stent implanted in her right coronary artery.

In 2018 Ruth had a bad fall that fractured three ribs.  During treatment for the broken ribs, cancerous nodules were detected in her lungs and she underwent a left lung lobectomy to remove them.  It was the first time she missed opening arguments in the Court in her 25 years on the bench.

It was a few months later that Ruth had a recurrence of a pancreatic tumor.  Yet she declared she would stay on the Court as long as she could do the job “full steam.”  Which she did.

There was a time during the Obama administration that there were calls for Ginsberg to step down due to her health, but she held firm, saying the political climate would not allow the appointment of someone of her like mind.

And so she stayed on the Court until yesterday, when she died in her home surrounded by family, from complications of that nasty pancreatic cancer.

In the last three years, Ruth became something of a celebrity icon.

It was partly because of her importance in remaining on the Court beyond the Trump presidency, but it was also because of her tenacity, her fierceness in the face of cancer, and her drive to keep contributing, to keep serving her country.

Some sharp entrepreneur marketed an action figure of The Notorious RBG, complete with white lace collar.

There were multitudes of T-shirts with her face and quotes from her many speeches and decisions on the Court.

Ginsberg became a role model for young women and girls who are still seeking equality in a man’s world.

For old women like me, Ruth Bader Ginsberg has been one source of inner strength as I embarked on writing this column for Townbroadcast.  It is partly from her that I draw inspiration to investigate issues before issuing personal opinions.  It is partly from her that I strive to respect those with whom I disagree, and to find the right words to use in the disagreeing.

She is now part of the “collection” of inspiring women in my life who will shape the person I will be during my final decades.

For old women, and men, Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a testament to the fact that an old mind isn’t necessarily a muddled mind.

An old mind can be sharp.  It can learn new things and form new attitudes and opinions.  An old mind can reflect the experiences of a long and varied life, the benefits of first-hand contact with history as it happened.

An old mind, even in a weakened body, can offer insight, inspiration, clarity, and direction to those around it.

Regardless of who the Senate confirms to fill the seat vacated by RBG, Ginsberg’s legacy will stand as one of strong moral character and strength in the face of physical obstacles.

May her tiny, frail, fragile body now be at peace.

Hers will be a name long remembered.