Maybe it will happen with age, but it might help to push yourself, or to climb Mt. Everest. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, becoming your own person, why some people speak their minds while others hold tight to the handrails of tradition and propriety. Also, Wayne Morse, the maverick U.S. Senator who voted "no" to the war in Vietnam.

Jungian analyst James Hillman is the author of "The Soul's Code" and "The Force of Character and the Lasting Life." He tells Judith Strasser that people become their true selves as they get older and should be respected as elders. Also, Temple University psychologist Frank Farley studies risk takers and their behavior. He tells Judith Strasser about the two "type T" personalities and advocates letting go of the handrails of life.

Novelist David Guterson ("Snow Falling on Cedars" and now, "East of the Mountains") talks about his new book with Jim Fleming. The new book is the story of a cancer patient who sets out to kill himself and discovers all sorts of reasons to go on living. Also, novelist and concert pianist Jeannette Haien talks with Judith Strasser about living life with honor and grace, and how she conveyed her characters' perception of time passing. Haien's novels include "The All of It" and "Matters of Chance."

Singer-songwriter Lee Murdock sings a song called "Joshua Johnson," about a blacksmith turned politician who knows exactly who he is. Also, Steve Paulson talks with political scientist Mason Drukman, biographer of U.S. Senator Wayne Morse. Morse was a maverick and proud of it - his was one of two votes against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which dragged the U.S. into the Vietnam War. Drukman's book is "Wayne Morse: A Political Biography."

Distribution dates:

• week of 10/03/99 - hour 1