On Being a (Sinful) Human

As Ted Lasso comes to the end of a magnificent three-season run, I thought it would be good to remember four of his (its) best lines. "You know what the happiest animal on earth is? It's a goldfish. Y'know why? It’s got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish." "You beating yourself up is like Woody Allen playing the clarinet. I don't wanna hear it." "You two knuckleheads have split our locker room in half. And when it comes to locker rooms, I like 'em just like my mother's bathing suits. I only wanna see 'em in one piece, you hear?" "Our goal is to go out like Willie Nelson, on a high." All of that, to get to this. In episode 9 of season 3, there was a great dialogue between Rebecca (the owner) and the irascible and ill-tempered Roy Kent (former player, now one of the coaches). Rebecca was

On Being (Even More) Human

We are talking about what it means to be human; and since our topic is extremely complex, I thought it would be good to begin by gleaning some wisdom from an expert.  Consider these words from Calvin (and one from Hobbes and, I guess, also from Bill Watterson); and unlike a comic strip, each quote here stands alone:  Calvin: “You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don’t help.” Calvin: “Everybody seeks happiness! Not me, though! That’s the difference between me and the rest of the world. Happiness isn’t good enough for me! I demand euphoria!” Calvin: “Life is full of surprises, but never when you need one.” Hobbes: “So the secret to good self-esteem is to lower your expectations to the point where they’re already met?” Calvin: “In my opinion, we don’t devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks.” Calvin: “God put

On Being Human

One of my favorite TV shows of all time (although now, sadly, it is showing signs of age) is “The Prisoner.”  Patrick McGoohan is one of Britain’s top-secret agents who unexpectedly resigns. He slams his fist down on his boss’ desk, storms out of the building and goes home to pack in order to leave the country. As he is packing, he is abducted and taken to “The Village.” The Village looks almost like a resort where everyone seems free enough; but make no mistake, it is a prison, and his keepers want information.  But who are his keepers? And whose side are they on?  No one is willing to say.  Interestingly, there are no names in The Village, only numbers. McGoohan is Number Six. The warden is Number Two. The show always begins with the same dialogue:  Number 6: “Where am I?               

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