Aron Ralston joined us this week at an unexpected guest at the Institute for Regulatory Law and Economics. Aron is the hiker who amputated his own arm with a pocketknife to survive after being pinned by a boulder.

Now, we have had a wonderful week at the Aspen Meadows discussing regulatory law and economics. Nevertheless, the most indelible and humbling part of the week for me was meeting Aron, a genuinely modest man who showed passing interest in the economics of consumer protection.

Not much to say except that meeting him was a wholly unexpected inspiration. Makes doing supposedly courageous things in the face of political resistance seem trivial, which is as it should be. An indelibly motiviating experience just to meet him.