Are you striking a healthy balance?
Question: Whom would you interview and what would you ask?
Armitage: I would have interviewed, I think, the previous Pontiff. I met him on two occasions. I was in awe. I never met a man who had a more kindly face or more piercing eyes. He would be one. Mother Teresa would be another. And I personally would have loved to meet Teddy Roosevelt. I think I would ask them about their spirituality first of all. And Mr. Roosevelt particularly, I would ask about his ability after he left office to risk life and limb in exploring the Amazon, which is little known about him. But just a fabulous saga in the story of one of the great American presidents.
Question: What should we be asking ourselves?
Armitage: You know I don’t know. These are all personal matters. I think if you’re a father and a husband, are you as good as you could possibly be? I know one day my daughter . . . my second daughter said to me, “Dad, no one ever wished that their tombstone said ‘I wish I had spent another day at the office.’” So I think that really struck me. I’ve never forgotten it, and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret her having said that to me, or the truth of her comments. So I think we all need to try to put a little balance in our life, and ask ourselves have we got that balance.