Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Today, coming back from Wal-Mart, a man was standing in the median with a small cardboard sign. I didn’t have my glasses on but the sign mentioned something about a family (which I took to be his) and 2 children. He didn’t look like your typical “homeless” person. He wore a shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. In fact, I had seen him earlier on my way in to the store and – not seeing his sign – figured he might be having car trouble. But as I came to find out that wasn’t the case – he might not even own a car anymore.
I don’t know if this guy and I share any other similarities in life other than the fact that we both spend a considerable amount of time outdoors in the sun. I’m sensitive to that and had just bought a huge pack of Ozarka bottled water for that very reason. Walking around neighborhoods in the middle of the day – which is what I do – makes you kind of thirsty. So I rolled down the window and gave him a bottle.
Now whenever I see someone like that, I like probably 99% of America, wonder why he’s not working. And that seems like a valid question. But, in this case, does the question really matter since we can’t know (or won’t take the time to find out) the answer? If someone is on the streets begging for money, why do we naturally turn away from, in fact downright ignore his/her presence, and rationalize it by suggesting he/she would use the money for alcohol, drugs, etc. It’s ignorant cynicism based on perception and nothing more. And it’s that very thing – perception – which clouds and distorts our reality.
I watched a really good movie which was suggested to me by a friend: American Splendor. It’s the true story of Harvey Pikar, the pessimistic/depressive creator of the comic book “American Splendor.” In one scene, Pikar is approached by a woman who recognizes him from college (he dropped out after 2 semesters on account of, he says, the required math courses he was inevitably going to have to take). She’s heard about his success as a comic book creator/jazz reviewer (a side-job of his) and suggests that he’s doing well for himself. “You’re famous,” she says. We find out that she completed college and is a little unhappy being a stay-at-home mom. “I’m not doing as great as you think,” says Pikar. “My second wife divorced me, I work a dead end job as a file clerk; sometimes I hang out with the guys in the corner but most of the time I stay at home by myself and I read.” Her perception of Pikar’s life was different from the reality.
Solaris, the 2002 science fiction movie, had a more abstract take on the same theme of perception. George Clooney plays a psychologist (I think) who is sent to an orbiting ship to help with figure out the anomalies that are taking place there. As it turns out, each crew member is seeing and interacting with a person from his/her past. Clooney is affected too, when his dead wife comes back to him. But the entity which comes back is only the construction that the real person created. Which is to say, Clooney is seeing his wife not as she was, but as he perceived her to be. The major theme in the movie is that truly knowing someone is very difficult because we view their lives and our interaction with them through the clouded lens of our own biases, prejudgments, etc. (for better or worse).
Which brings me back to the homeless man on the median. I don’t know his life- which means I don’t know if he is to blame for his situation or not. Its probably a mixture. But I don’t know that for sure – so why be cynical about it. Why pass these people by without a second thought? Maybe it’s because we have our own problems to deal with – and that may be true. But can we rationalize our own inaction based on our own shaky perceptions?
I don’t know if this guy and I share any other similarities in life other than the fact that we both spend a considerable amount of time outdoors in the sun. I’m sensitive to that and had just bought a huge pack of Ozarka bottled water for that very reason. Walking around neighborhoods in the middle of the day – which is what I do – makes you kind of thirsty. So I rolled down the window and gave him a bottle.
Now whenever I see someone like that, I like probably 99% of America, wonder why he’s not working. And that seems like a valid question. But, in this case, does the question really matter since we can’t know (or won’t take the time to find out) the answer? If someone is on the streets begging for money, why do we naturally turn away from, in fact downright ignore his/her presence, and rationalize it by suggesting he/she would use the money for alcohol, drugs, etc. It’s ignorant cynicism based on perception and nothing more. And it’s that very thing – perception – which clouds and distorts our reality.
I watched a really good movie which was suggested to me by a friend: American Splendor. It’s the true story of Harvey Pikar, the pessimistic/depressive creator of the comic book “American Splendor.” In one scene, Pikar is approached by a woman who recognizes him from college (he dropped out after 2 semesters on account of, he says, the required math courses he was inevitably going to have to take). She’s heard about his success as a comic book creator/jazz reviewer (a side-job of his) and suggests that he’s doing well for himself. “You’re famous,” she says. We find out that she completed college and is a little unhappy being a stay-at-home mom. “I’m not doing as great as you think,” says Pikar. “My second wife divorced me, I work a dead end job as a file clerk; sometimes I hang out with the guys in the corner but most of the time I stay at home by myself and I read.” Her perception of Pikar’s life was different from the reality.
Solaris, the 2002 science fiction movie, had a more abstract take on the same theme of perception. George Clooney plays a psychologist (I think) who is sent to an orbiting ship to help with figure out the anomalies that are taking place there. As it turns out, each crew member is seeing and interacting with a person from his/her past. Clooney is affected too, when his dead wife comes back to him. But the entity which comes back is only the construction that the real person created. Which is to say, Clooney is seeing his wife not as she was, but as he perceived her to be. The major theme in the movie is that truly knowing someone is very difficult because we view their lives and our interaction with them through the clouded lens of our own biases, prejudgments, etc. (for better or worse).
Which brings me back to the homeless man on the median. I don’t know his life- which means I don’t know if he is to blame for his situation or not. Its probably a mixture. But I don’t know that for sure – so why be cynical about it. Why pass these people by without a second thought? Maybe it’s because we have our own problems to deal with – and that may be true. But can we rationalize our own inaction based on our own shaky perceptions?
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