Brunch With The Pope

It was a bright sunny day, so I decided to walk the short distance from my hotel to the Vatican.  To kill some time, I detoured on to a side street and found some dirty, scruffy boys playing futbol; their ball had seen better days decades ago but at least they were having fun.  When I finally got back on the main drag, the Vatican was directly in front of me.  As I passed through a security checkpoint I was reminded of the TSA pat down before I had left.  Trying to compare the two was tough; similarities are what they are.  When I reached the correct office, I was well received but told that the Pope was running behind and I should make myself comfortable.  Finally, my guide escorted me into a well appointed dining room and there he was, the Pope, waiting for me.  He said that he was happy to meet me and that I resembled Tom Hanks.  I took that as a complement but I am better looking than Mr. Hanks.  Then he muttered something about a Dan Brown, whoever he is.  After some more genteel conversation, we sat down to eat.  The only thing that I can think of that was NOT on the dining table was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  In between mouthfuls, I asked the Pope many questions.  Like, what are you and the Church doing about hunger?  About homelessness?  About ignorance?  About the exploding world population?  There were more questions, but the answer to all of them was the same:  a smile and a nod of the head that went this way or that.  I thought that I was lunching with a bobble-head doll.  When the coffee was finished, the Pope rose from his chair and then I knew that it was time for me to leave.  My escort-guide, like a pre-set alarm clock, was immediately present to take me back to the public areas.  But before I left, the Pope put his hands on my shoulders and said, " God bless us, everyone."  Well, that's what I think he said.  My walk back to my hotel took me past the same boys who earlier were playing futbol.  But this time they were not having any fun.  This time the boys were tired and very hungry.  Those boys had no where to go - the streets were their home.  I bought them bread, cheese, and milk; their thanks was abundant.  When I left those boys, in the shadows of the Vatican, I had one burning thought in my head.  It takes a lot more than some god's blessing, given by a man, to solve a problem.  Words, after all, are just empty vessels until action is applied to make them happen.

Author's Note:  This post is fiction, a bit of wishful thinking.  I have more important things to do than have brunch with the Pope.

                                                 Copyright @2012 Terry Unger          

Lunch With A Former Professor

He appeared as a rather common fellow (and always did), like a regular Joe, until he opened his mouth (his personal downfall).  His words were almost grotesque, not in a vile sense, but on a level that would be alien to many people.  Here he was, an old professor of mine, probing me to see if my intelligence level had been raised from that of so many years ago.   When I replied with the same level of verbal pomposity, he settled down; a condescending demeanor would not be his to use on this day.  Many folks in academia, but certainly not all, have a thing or two in common.  One is that they think they have all the answers concerning their specific discipline.  But only a small number have taken their knowledge outside of the classroom (in other words, they are not Indiana Jones) and applied it in the real world.  For the some of those who have done so, they discovered that the real world is not so kind to some of their treasured postulations.  And to others that ventured outside of the lecture hall, the satisfaction had that what they taught worked in the real world, was a bonus.  In both of these instances, knowledge was applied and experience was gained; that's the beginning of wisdom.  Success or failure does not matter - the experience gained is what's really important.  My lunch companion did not fail to disappoint me.  After all, I know the man.  He had no intention of proving his postulations in the real world; he wrote his position papers and they were published - that was good enough for him.  He then reminded me of his position and of his tenure; because of that, in his mind, he was right (even though he had been proven wrong many times - that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!).  Well, the man has spent most of his adult life in academia.  Another thing that many academics have in common is a sense of entitlement - they like their freebies.  It did not come as a surprise to me when the professor finished his lunch, got out of his chair, and bid me a good afternoon and left, sticking me with the check.  I expected that to happen, even though it was he who had invited me to lunch.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not coming down on academia.  We really need good teachers.  What I am saying is that they need to get away from their cloistered life and take a few long walks in the real world.  


                                               Copyright @2012 Terry Unger

                                                 
                                                       

An Evening With A Prophet

He likes his steaks, he told me, pink on the inside and juicy, and red wine served at room temperature.  That's where any other personal information about him ceased to be.  Men who do not honor themselves, he said, will never honor anything true.  Then he opined about how men, who do not set goals, will not succeed and will only rise to the level of their self expectations.  Careful time was spent as he explained to me that each one of us is responsible for our actions.  As one sentence flowed into another, he told me how, when men do not learn from history's lessons, they (we) repeat those mistakes and then act like it's a new happening instead of acknowledging it's a repeat of past cause and effect.  To drive home that point, he mentioned a few of mine and some that had occurred on the world stage.  I silently sat and listened as I was admonished to avoid those people who languish in their own self-pity; they will suck the life out of you.  When he drained the last drop of fermented red from the bottle, I knew that the evening was over, but not before he dropped the mother load on me.  Be wary, he told me, of the priests with their canned answers for every situation.  As he rose from his chair, he said that all mysteries can be known if we open the door to the heart and journeyed within.  When he was leaving, I asked him if I would ever see him again.  That he said, was all up to me.


                                                 Copyright @2012 Terry Unger    

Opa

My grandfather, Opa, was a good man.  He and my grandmother Celia raised five sons and two daughters in their adopted country (the USA).  Their seven children went on to be a part of the WWII generation, said by some to be the best generation ever.  I can't speak about other families, but I know that Opa instilled certain values in his kids that were passed down to his grandchildren.  One of those values was molded into a simple sentence.

At the right moment during our frequent family gatherings (usually when we were eating), Opa would say, " I wonder what the poor people are doing today?"  Being the curious tike in short pants that I was, I believed that Opa was making a joke about the homeless and destitute; so I asked him.

That day I vividly remember.  It was in late summer and my family had gathered to pick fruit for our fall wine ( yeah, we did that and drank it too!).  Opa sat in his favorite outdoor chair and like a military field commander, directed the fruit selection while my Oma (grandmother Celia) took care of the food preparations.  We kids took care of the lower branches while our parents dealt with the higher ones.  And if you missed a spot, Opa happily made you aware of the error.  Opa's pipe was ever present.  It was one of those long stemmed things with a big base that he had brought with him from Austria.  I do not remember the brand of tobacco that Opa smoked, but I can tell you that the aroma was terrific.  When dinner in the orchard was finished, I took advantage of Opa's available lap.

Opa adjusted his pipe as I climbed into his lap and then asked him about the poor people stuff.  He chuckled at my question but it was not a laugh of derision but one of understanding that needed to be addressed.  Opa told me about what is true wealth and what is fool's gold.

To Opa, the "poor people" in his statement were the insanely wealthy.  All their wealth, he told me, blinded them to what was really true and important:  family, love, friendship, togetherness, and peace of mind.  In my Opa's head, those insanely wealthy folks could not enjoy the real wealth that is had with a simple life; their monetary wealth blinds them and thus, they are poor, and lack the knowledge of real wealth.  Does that mean that we should not strive to improve our lives and that of our family?  Absolutely not.  It really means that we should not take to heart all that glitters and sparkles as real, true wealth.  Keep in mind that that kind of wealth can be fleeting; easy come, easy go.  Real rock solid love, family, and friendship does not.  When the money is gone, it's gone; when love and family are true, they're still there.

That piece of wisdom and more was given to me by a really smart guy over fifty years ago.  Maybe it's time for me to get a pipe like Opa's and start dispensing the same.  The thing is, who will listen?


                                                 Copyright @ 2012 Terry Unger            








       

The Problem With Perception

When we touch a hot burner or get too close to that roaring fire, we get burned.  We do not just feel it, but we perceive it.  Our perception of what is supposed to be true and false comes from our five senses and what we have been told.  So, what we perceive, is what we believe.  Once we have experienced our burned flesh, we know that when we put our hands in a flame, we will get burned.  But is that red wall really red?  To you yes, but it will not appear as the same shade of red to another - we perceive things differently - because we are all unique.  What you find beautiful, another will find repugnant.  Revel in your uniqueness and your individuality.  But, beware of all that wants you to think and believe in a certain manner.  A guarded disposition will sense the fire that can burn you.  However, some people will believe anything, even when they get burned; thus the problem with perception.  

                                               Copyright @ 2012 Terry Unger           

My Top Ten List Of Strange and Wacky Human Behavior

#10 - Spouses cheating on each other....simultaneously.

#9 - Stiffing your waiter/waitress....no tip.

#8 - Not giving credit where credit is due; hogging all the glory for yourself.  In general, using other people for self gain.

#7 - Really believing that there is a thing in life known as a "free lunch."

#6- Smoking in public places where smoking is prohibited.

#5 - Taking Fido for a walk and not cleaning up the poop.

#4 - Expecting other people to pay your share.

#3 - Cursing and other asinine behavior in front of children.

#2 - Talking and texting while driving-----Ugh!!!

#1 - Not taking responsibility for your words and deeds.


                                                Copyright @2012 Terry Unger  

My Top Ten List Of Gimmicks To Make You Spend More Money

#10 - Hurry in! Quantities limited!

#9 - We have 20 gifts for your holiday gift giving, all under $20.00! (Yep - $19.99)

#8 - Door Buster Sale! From 6am til 10:00am only! (yeah, right)

#7 - No interest on your purchase for 12 months! (yep - they back load the interest)

#6 - Zero interest on all balance transfers for the first 6 months! (But we will be happy to bang you for at least 25% interest on everything else!)

#5 - Free shipping on all orders over $100.00! (Do the math on this one. What was it you originally wanted?)

#4 - Going out of business/bankruptcy sale! Everything must go! Prices drastically reduced! (Yeah well, you've going out of business and claiming bankruptcy for the last 5 years!)

#3 - Here is your $5.00 shoppers reward coupon! Valid only on purchases of $50.00 or more. Expires....(really soon!)

#2 - Here are your credit card bonus points! Want more points? Call -------- and we'll happily charge them to your credit card!

#1 - Free gift* to the first 100 shoppers.  (follow the asterisk* to find the truth)


                                              Copyright @2012 Terry Unger