While sipping in Starbucks in Chicago at 1900 W. Montrose Ave, I saw a wall-sized photo. This wasn’t in a frame, but instead was plastered to the north wall, dominating by virtue of its 12 feet by 6 feet.
I wonder how many of that store’s hundreds (if not thousands) of customers ever took more than a casual glance at this photo, which was shot from a God’s-eye perspective. That is, looking straight down. And why shouldn’t Stars’ customers look straight on, which is to say (from the photo’s point-of-view) straight down? Are they not Gods?
I tried to find a link on google but couldn’t find one – isn’t every image there or didn’t I look hard enough? However, I just had a sudden flash of inspiration: “Even if I could find such a link, I would not share it with you – instead choosing to describe that photo in words.” Patience! I’ll do that soon enough. But I wish to take a moment here to reveal to you (and bow down to) that which inspired me: The Artist.
Yes, I saw the recently-released The Artist, which is a (mostly) silent movie. Simply brilliant! I will see it again with my son on Monday, knowing he’ll appreciate just how much we need such a throw-back. I mean, who makes silent movies anymore? Last one I can remember is (dramatic pause) Silent Movie by Mel Brooks, which came out in 1976.
Okay, I’ll weaken a bit here and share that link with you:
Yes, silent movies are indeed a throw-back, as is the use of words to conjure an image instead of providing an uploaded photo or a link. Call me sentimental, but I still think words have value.
Description in my own words
Okay, on with it then. The photo was shot apparently a few feet over the head of a bean sorter, whom I assume is female. She is wearing a large, white, woven, bamboo hat which dominates the lower, central, one-sixth of this photo. So you can’t see her head but you can see her hands as she sorts the coffee beans spread out before her. Those beans fill most of the photo. We also see the hands of the person to the left and of the one to the right of our “star” actor. Nothing else of all three, just their hands and forearms.
So, what’s wrong with this picture?
I’m not sure if anything is “wrong,” so I’ll just report what I saw. I had to get up out of my seat to be sure I wasn’t seeing a fly resting on the central sorter’s right arm. My eyes aren’t so good at a distance – I was seated about 12 feet away. But I can assure you that was a fly – moreover, a fly which any person of average sight would see. Should see, if they were to pay attention.
First thing I thought: “Huh! I wonder why that wasn’t Photoshopped out.” But there it is – bigger than life – a fly for all of Stars’ customers to see. That is, if they would bother at all to access their God’s-eye view to take more than a cursory glance. But I saw it. Maybe, out of all those thousands, I was the only one.
Likelier, I was the only one who wondered, “Is that a tsetse fly, the scourge of Africa that causes sleeping sickness?” Just now, I saw a google-image of a tsetse, but can’t be 100% sure if that’s what was on her arm.
Then I thought of the hat she was wearing. It looked brand-spanking new. So it occurred to me: Maybe this photographer saw the shabby hat she was wearing and thought, “That won’t do for Stars’ customers.” So did he say, “Wear this instead?” I wonder if he let her keep that hat.
What price, a cup of coffee?
The Buddha-eye
Even since I started practicing Buddhism over 20 years ago, I started seeing things differently. I can’t say I see what isn’t visible. But what I do see makes more than just a visual impression on me. One of the benefits of practicing the Lotus Sutra is an ever-increasing enhancement of one’s senses. That’s promised within the pages of the Lotus itself. I haven’t acquired the Buddha-eye yet, since my practice is still relatively young. But all good things take time.
As I’ve soldiered on over the years, I’ve become more and more impressed with what people don’t see. Or, more accurately, choose to overlook. Then it occurred to me: Maybe their lack of compassion serves to effectively blind them.
Case in point:
When Walk the Line came out in 2005, one particular scene made a deep impression – mostly because I was keenly aware that nobody else sitting in that theater with me felt what I felt. Walk the Line is a biopic about the life of Johnny Cash, starring Joaquin Phoenix in brilliant portrayal. In it, “Cash” is about to start performing for the convicts of Folsom Prison. But first, he holds up, for the prisoners to see, a glass of polluted yellow water which he just poured from a nearby tap. Looking at it disgustedly, he smashes it to the floor to the cheers of the prisoners.
When I saw that, I thought how easy it was for Johnny Cash to do that, knowing he could get water from the outside (or even from the warden’s office if he were that thirsty). However, the prisoners didn’t have any such choice – if they were thirsty, they would have to drink polluted water. For 10, 20, 30 years – for life in some cases. Then I wondered how many of my fellow audience members cared about what prisoners had to drink or even noticed what I’d noticed.
Probably the same number who read stories in their local newspapers, but think nothing of them, about suspects undergoing 48-hour “interrogations” by the police before confessing. And these are the same people who, without batting an eyelash, will swear that “The US doesn’t torture people.”
Yeah, right.
Steven Searle for US President in 2012
Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party
“A nation which ignores compassion will not for much longer remain free, nor will anyone care when it passes” – Steve.
Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com
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