Make A Wish…
Tis the Season
This time of year, from November through January, is full of holidays and commemorations, most of them originating in one religion or another, but mostly more cultural than religious at this point for most people.
In the midst of all this, we also find the tradition of New Year’s resolutions. I remember for several years when I was a member of a commercial gym, we all tended to stay away from the gym in January, since the facility was overrun with people who made resolutions to get fit. They were almost all gone by Valentines Day. Ah well, they tried.
So, in the spirit of special days and personal resolutions, I offer for your consideration 10 fictional opportunities for you to think about. On each of these, you get to make a choice, but only one choice. I will share with you my choices on this list; look forward to hearing some of yours shared with the rest of us.
Have fun!
Some Cultural Choices
You have the opportunity to conduct one symphonic piece with a full orchestra. Pick it.
I have long thought about what a great pleasure this would be. I have a couple of friends who have actually done this (at least one of which is a regular reader of this blog). For me, this sounds terrific, but it comes with two challenges.
One, I would want months to prepare. I would not want to just stand up there waving my arms around, being ignored by the orchestra. To honor the profession of conducting and to make good use of the orchestra’s time,
I would want to watch lots of videos of my chosen music being conducted until I had down pat exactly how I would proceed.
Two, of course, is the choice of music. Really hard to choose one. I expect I would go with my man Beethoven, either the 5th or 9th symphony. Cannot loose with either. But I also am drawn to the drama of Also Sprake Zarathustra and to the majesty of Fanfare for the Common Man. And who would not be tempted with the power and energy of the William Tell Overture?
Maybe I would cheat and ask for them all at the same concert, after which I likely would collapse into a giddy collapse of exhaustion.
Designate your one favorite movie, ever.
Another tough one. How to choose only one? For me, I think it comes down to Field of Dreams, the greatest baseball movie ever. You could care less about baseball and still understand the power and subtlety of this movie. I never tire of watching it.
Second place would likely go to Lawrence of Arabia, the version starring Peter O’Toole. I thought it did a great job of illuminating war, politics, and human foibles. The scene where Lawrence tried to lead one of his first charges in combat and in so doing he accidently shot his own horse in the head illustrated the foibles of even the best intentions.
Wishes For The World
You are granted one wish for the world. What shall you choose?
Be careful what you choose – there could be unforeseen consequences. As an example, there was a terrific little known movie years ago entitled Laser of Heaven. The protagonist in the movie was mysteriously granted unlimited powers. One of his first choices was to eliminate racial disparities. He awoke the next day to find that everyone was now green.
Do not choose curing a disease – that option is coming up next. Most of us likely would opt for something like eternal peace, or at least no more war. But even that has limits – people could still live under despots or be hungry.
I think I will go for assurances that all governments forever forward would be dedicated to the welfare of all its residents, citizens and world neighbors. A lot of other good could come from that foundation.
You may cure a disease forever- but only one. What will you choose, and why this one?
We can be generous here and be loose with definitions. Say cancer and it will cover all variants. Same with heart disease or any other ailment.
For my turn, I am inclined to go with curing all forms of dementia. That likely reflects my own experience in seeing what this awful condition does to victims and families, for years. It is surely one of the cruelest diseases ever, a curse on our species, both for what it does and how long it can last.
Personal Relations
One question you regret not asking someone close to you, now deceased.
Someday this may not be fiction. I could envision a time when much of what is in your mind could be downloaded into a computer and really mature AI matched to it, so that someone could ask you a question long after you were gone and a credible answer could come forth. But we certainly are not there yet.
I suppose I would like the opportunity to ask either of my parents: If they could have made one important decision in their lives differently, what would that be? This was a generation that lived through the Depression, WWII, the Cold War, and so much more.
It would be interesting to know what personal benchmark they might change, given the opportunity to do so.
You can offer three bits of advice to a 20 year old you. What will you offer?
Recognize, of course, that like any 20 year old, the younger you may not listen to your advice, but if that younger person knew and believed you had really come back in time to talk to them, they might take it to heart.
In my case, 20 year old me was already married and had been to war. My advice would be first to recognize how lucky you are to have found the right life partner on the first try and to still be alive after your first (but not your last) year in war. Be grateful and humbled by both of these facts, every day.
Second, trust your instincts. I made several decisions along the way in life based on the short hairs on the back of my neck as much as the work of what brains I may have. So far, trusting those instincts has been the right call. Stick with it.
Three, your best decisions and commitments come from a start point of giving 100% of your head AND your heart to what you do that is important. Don’t cut back on either asset.
Pure Fantasy
You may have a long conversation with one historical figure. Who will it be?
I have played with this scenario if other ways in this blog, as some of you may recall. It is a really fun thing to contemplate.
Personally, I probably have a “short list” of a couple hundred such figures, but if it is to be one, I will go with Aristotle.
The golden era of ancient Greece was remarkable, not the least because of its brilliant leaders, philosophers, and others. I don’t pretend to be a scholar in all this, but I have long thought that Aristotle was first among equals. A great deal of what became Western civilization has been based on his thoughts. Stoicism grew from these roots. Much of early Christianity borrowed heavily from him. Heck, Alexander the Great was one of his students! It would be the chance of a lifetime to have a conversation with this fellow.
You could know how long you would live and how it ends. Want to know?
Very much a personal choice for anyone to make. I would be inclined to say yes, give me the information. I hope to leave this life semi-exhausted with a ton of good things underway or under thought.
It would be helpful to know what the last chapter looked like, to better use the time, energy, and resources I would have to work with before I turn back into stardust.
You can go back in time and observe an event/place. What is it? You can pick an arbitrary date in the future, rather than the past, if you wish, to see what the world is like. What is your choice?
For this one, I would go big. Put me forward 10,000 years. Is our species still here, still dominant on this planet? Did we learn anything important about being a better species? Did we make it into space and if so, what have we found so far?
I expect I would find myself clueless as to what will transpire. Hope we don’t screw it up in the future! Right now, looks like a coin toss at best, but we can hope.
You could converse with an animal. What species, what question, what statement would you share with them?
This is another idea I have touched on in this blog in the past but this seems a good one to wish for now. In earlier years, I would have picked dogs or whales. I still would welcome those opportunities.
But the more I read about them, the more I think the octopus may be one of our most underrated, misunderstood creatures. If anything here came from aliens, the octopus would be a prime suspect.
I would love to be able to ask what their level of comprehension is, how much do they know about our species, and what do they think would make life in general better. I would not be surprised to find they actually think about such things.
And I would apologize for much of what our team has done, to their species and to our planet. They all deserve better.
How Did You Do?
Anything surprise you in your own thinking about these options? Any good memories brought back to life? Any new motivations? What would you add to this list of possibilities? Anything I discussed here ring a bell for you or irritated you?
This is indeed the season for reflection, commitment, and hope. Best wishes to you and yours going forward -whether you get any of these ten wishes or not
See you next week.
Bill Clontz
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