Starting Anew or Just Going Forward?

It takes a second listen to hear what the announcer actually says: it’s not “urine” furniture sale, with which I have some familiarity, but “year end.” There is a difference between pronunciation and enunciation; in this case, we needed the enunciation.

Watching the biography of Tom Selleck was a treat: his success is due to hard work and talent, rather than being the right person in the right place at the right time. As he says, “it’s the path you take,” not where you end up that you celebrate. Tom also understands and lives the necessity for camaraderie, the bonding that strengthens the individual into an ensemble, the very quality that is so lacking in the field of education. As a matter of fact, one of the worst things that former co-stars can say is that “Tom Selleck is just too nice.”

After being outed as gay, a false accusation that Tom took to court to fight, Selleck became associated with the Character Counts coalition, an organization that realizes that the future lies with the children, many of whom are not being given a good ethical foundation. Ironically, several years later, he agreed to play a gay reporter in the movie In and Out, a challenge that many advised him not to do. He says that something about every role he takes should scare him and cause him to know not just what he’s doing in the role, but why, a philosophy we all should apply to the decisions in our own lives.

Rewatching A Few Good Men, starring both Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, reminds me what an excellent film is. There is actually good acting throughout the film, rather than spurts of talent here and there, which seems to characterize far too many films today. Getting to the punch line, “You can’t handle the truth,” the look in Nicholson’s eyes not just sells the message, but the character. This film also convinces the viewer of the power of the pause, the silence that allows the moment to build, that creates the depth to both the story and the character that cannot be achieved with constant chatter and movement. Comparing some of the excellent films with those that are on the market now shows how low our expectations are for plot, for character, for videography, for excellence.

It’s the new year; with all that’s going on in the world, the morning talk show hosts seem to be most concerned about whether it’s twenty-ten or two-oh-ten or two thousand ten, an artificial concern that obfuscates serious issues with silliness. The bottom line is “who cares”?

For me, the new year marks another one of those milestone birthdays and a decision-making time. I still love teaching, but there comes a time when the generation gap is actually a Grand Canyon, and we all know that you cannot jump the Grand Canyon, no matter how much preparation goes into the effort. My mother always reminded me that you cannot put an old head onto young shoulders, but my head is aging more rapidly than the young shoulders! I am amazed at the constant litany of why a student cannot attend class, cannot complete the assignments, cannot, cannot, cannot. It is time for focusing on how to get it done, rather than how to get out of it.

Students seem to relate to my teaching, have come to understand my methods, my style, my high expectations, and my fierce dedication to their learning. I am easily distracted by the students who make it all about themselves, rather than the learning, and attack me for their failure to do what has to be done to pass the class. It’s so easy to understand that you get out what you put in, and if you expect to make a withdrawal from an account that has nothing in it, you’re going to be unable to do so. Yes, it’s hard work, but some of the best parts of life are a result of hard work. Far too few people are amenable to hard work these days.

We are all flawed characters in our own ways, but part of the goal of living life is to overcome the flaws. The motto for the medical profession is to do no harm, wise words that could elevate all of our lives to a better plane. In the process, maybe we can also do some good.