Looking for a Rufous

Introduction

When you’re flying at 35,000 feet with various and sundry distractions, people walking by your seat and bumping your elbow because you forgot you’re on an airplane, children crying because they’re not used to the air pressure in the cabin, the person in the seat next to you is watching a movie on their device that looks very interesting, or your blood sugar is low because you haven’t eaten since you left the airport three hours ago, literary excellence is not guaranteed. However, because you’re a writer and you like writing you reach down into your knapsack that is under the seat and retrieve the spiral-bound notebook and a ballpoint pen that you bought in Portland, Oregon for your trip  and start writing. The following is what I wrote on that flight on May 28, 2023.

I always have a reason for my blog titles, which will become clear soon.

Soylent Green is Made Out of People

Peer Gynt (“Morning Mood” and “Åse’s Death”)

There was this scene in a movie with Edward G. Robinson and Charlton Heston. The soundtrack was a classical piece, very nice but the details of which evade me at the moment I write this in flight. As you watch this scene in the movie you see a large projection screen and hear the wonderful music. When I was researching Soylent Green after my flight I read comments from people who developed a love of classical music after hearing the soundtrack in that scene. Ironically, this movie was released in 1973 about the time I too was developing a liking of classical music. As it happened, I needed an elective for my Journalism degree requirements and thought, how hard can it be, a music course. It turned out to be a very challenging course with tests that required the students to listen to different pieces of music in an auditorium and identify details (the composer, the title of the piece, the period, and the specific movement being played). I think I got a B in the course and was happy with it.

Here are the details from Wikipedia (a direct quote):

“The “going home” score in Sol Roth’s death scene was conducted by Gerald Fried and consists of the main themes from Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”) by Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”) by Beethoven, and Peer Gynt (“Morning Mood” and “Åse’s Death”) by Edvard Grieg.” I included the Tchaikovsky piece.

Anyway, I was going to describe the death scene, but the movie is available and plenty of commentaries about its societal significance in 1973. Back on track now.

Bear with me in my stream of consciousness at altitude. A shirt worn by someone wobbling and working his way down to the rear lavatories on the Boeing 737 read “Shitake Happens”. It bugged me because I read shirts, and I didn’t know exactly what it meant, so on his way back from the restroom I asked him about it. He obligingly stopped long enough to explain that it was a shirt he got at a food festival in California. What fun, eh!

      Slot canyon, Zion             National Park

What’s the Point?

Or, asked differently, why “People are People”? Because it’s true, and the only way to live your live is to try to accept people the way they are. Having lived part of my life as a judgmental person, this is a surprising statement coming from me. I used to automatically judge a person before I took the time to get to know them. Not a good thing to do.

How about this, I’m at the gym swimming laps, which I love to do, and I see the person swimming in the lane next to mine, not too well I think. That’s when I try to press the “override” button – no, Bernie, you are not going to get out of the pool later and try to give them swimming tips. It’s their life, let them swim anyway they want to. Also, regarding first impressions, hold off on that first negative thought about someone until you spend more time with them. Maybe they’re just having a bad day.

Do a Good Deed!

Tchaikovsky, “Pathetique”

Going beyond that idea a bit, in your daily encounters you may realize that what the mainstream media reports in the news, about people, misrepresents one important concept. The concept is that most people, a vast majority, are solid, genuine, caring, and sympathetic individuals who are always willing to lend a helping hand. Give it a chance, you’ll see what I mean.