No One Aboard

Back last July 6, I spent eight hours under oath testifying about a Superfund case. I spent another four or five hours being deposed the next day as well.

Today, I got to sit on the other side of the table. The plaintiffs developed rebuttal reports from various experts, and I got to sit in as the defendants' lawyers deposed the rebuttal experts.

The trick is to not take it all personally. My ego got pricked every time I heard the rebuttal expert mention my name or my report, and even though he disagreed with the findings of my report, it was not a personal assault. But it's very easy to fall into the duality of "us" and "them," our side versus their side, and plaintiffs and defendants.

Of course, philosophically, there wouldn't be an "us" if there weren't a "them" to distinguish us from. Legally, there wouldn't be defendants if there weren't plaintiffs. It's all just two sides of the same coin. But when the rebuttal expert says he he finds fault with my report's conclusions, egotistical pride kicks in, heaven and hell are infinitely far apart, and I suffer and want the other side of the table to suffer, too.

However, Zen practice lets me recognize that all of this is nothing more than the mechanics of the mind, and I can let go of the anger while still doing my best to help the attorneys defend our client. In the end, if everything is done professionally, the truth will prevail.

The weather was beautiful the whole time I was in Washington - cool and dry and clear. I didn't get around town too much as I was pretty busy, but I did get to eat dinner at the Capitol City Brew Pub next to Union Station and at a neighborhood Mexican restaurant on Massachusetts Avenue. The George Hotel was great and crawling with politicos.

While I was in DC, John Roberts got sworn in as the new Chief Justice of SCOTUS, a job he will probably hold for the rest of my life, and Tom DeLay got indicted. The local news talked about some sort of stench that was reportedly coming from the sewers in the northeast part of town, and the FAA and the air traffic controllers were arguing over whether planes were disappearing from the radar screen for 30 seconds at a time or for "merely" 14 or 15 seconds.

Delta put me in the middle seat on the flight back, but I accepted my assignment - after all, I was heading home.