The Quiet Man

"You know what the problem is, doc? The problem is that nothing has any value anymore. It's all just dollars and cents and how much someone will pay for something. Nothing has any real worth."

"How about family? Friends? They have worth, don't they?"

"Sure, but that's not what I mean. It's like...you know what happened? Rupert Murdoch bought Dow Jones. That's what I mean. It's all about money. It's not about prestige or importance. It's all about cheapening the product for the mass market and making a buck. I mean Rupert Murdoch, the world's biggest media pimp, bought Dow Jones!"

"Well, you may be jumping to conclusions here."

"Oh yeah, you just wait and see. Mark my word. Pretty soon they'll be putting Page 3 girls in the Wall Street Journal."

"I doubt that, and anyway, if that's what the public wants then who are you to sit and judge."

"The aesthetic is gone, doc. Whatever sells is right, and the cruder the better."

"Again, who are you to sit and judge? Did it ever occur to you that maybe you're tastes might just be different from someone else's? That doesn't make a thing right or wrong."

"Well, all I can say is that there is more to beauty than botox and a boob job. You know what the poet said, 'Truth is beauty, and beauty truth. That's all ye know on earth and all ye need to know."

"And what is truth, then? How do you know the truth isn't  botox and a boob job?"

"I know that beauty isn't something you can buy, like a can of beans."

"Then you don't know much about women. There may be more illusion than you realize."

"Beauty, real beauty, is like a...a...I don't know. It's like a connection or something. You see someone and you just feel connected somehow, and that's all you see, you know what I mean. It's got nothing to do with hair, or makeup, or any of that. I mean, sure, that has something to do with it, but without that connection it's all just fakery. It's like if you feel that connection, then it's beautiful. And it doesn't have to be a girl. It can be a painting, or a car, or even a refrigerator. If that connection is there, then it's beautiful. Page 3 girls are just hormonal reactions. You can call them beautiful, but it's not the same thing."

"Ok, I'm not going to argue with you. So what else is going on? Have you started writing that opera yet?"

"Oh, the opera. Yeah, well I'm working on that."

"How far have you gotten?"

"Let's just say I'm still in the idea stage. Anyway, it's probably too late for me to start writing an opera now. Maybe if I was a little younger..."

"Truth is, you're the world's greatest procrastinator. Now that's what the truth is."

"Yeah, well, I guess I've lost my inspiration. You know I've been trying to do what you told me. I'm trying to live more in the real world instead having my head in the clouds all the time, but you know the real world is kind of boring. At least it is to me. Without my fantasies I just don't feel inspired to write. It's almost like I don't feel anything anymore."

"I didn't tell you to give up your fantasies, I just want you to focus more on separating the real from the imaginary. I know you know the difference, now you just need to work on not letting your imagination get away with you. We both know what kind of trouble that can get you into."

"..."

"How are you doing socially? Are you getting out more like I asked you to?"

"I bought a motorcycle."

"And?"

"I bought a motorcycle because I can get on the thing and ride and not have to deal with anybody except the other drivers on the road. It's like being in my own little world, and I like that."

"I see. That's not exactly what I ..."

"You see doc, I don't like crowds of people. I just like to do my own thing and not have to bother anybody else. Yeah, ok, I'm a dreamer and I know that's not healthy but it's who I am, and, frankly, at this point in my life I'm not much interested in changing."

"Yes, but that can lead to problems. You know that."

"What can I say? It's my bliss. I hear what you're saying, but if I could just ride my bike and write my opera, I'd die a happy man."

"Really?"

"At least I'd die happier than if I had to sit around at people's parties  making small talk for the rest of my life. That just ain't me, doc."

"Well, I appreciate your honesty but I'm afraid you're..."

"Excuse me. I think my half-hour is up."

"Yes, you're right. That'll have to do for today. Make an appointment on the way out, and try to get out more, will you?"

"Sure. I'll try. You know this would make a great opera."