An idealist believes the short run doesn't count. A cynic believes the long run doesn't matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run.

Sydney J. He became a member of the editorial staff of the Chicago Daily News in 1941 and began his column in 1944. He attended high school with Saul Bellow who was his lifelong friend.

Sydney J. His weekday column “Strictly Personal” was syndicated in many newspapers throughout the United States and Canada.