I used to work at a health food restaurant called Indigo when I lived in Hollywood. Hollywood is a great place to find all things healthy, because in a very real sense, health is wealth there. No one will hire a star of screen or stage who reminds the audience of what psychologists call “mortality salience” - our own vulnerability to death. At the nearby 5-star Beverly Hills Hotel, for example, there are restorative experiences in everything from traditional Ayurveda to quantum flower energy, collagen renewal facials, laser skin rejuvenation, and stem cell hair restoration. At the restaurant, we offered rejuvenating mock turkey sandwiches, vegetarian scallops, and fresh-from-the-oven breads made with ancient European grains. All this was a world of wonder for me, and I was thankful to have the job as dishwasher at the famous Indigo, especially on the day they made a large tray birthday carrot cake for me, with Old Fashioned Bulgarian Yogurt frosting. The only challenge was to divide the cake appropriately so that all the workers got their fair share.
We waited till Twiggy and Moon Zappa finished their sandwiches and pickled cucumber curls so that we could close the front door. In the back room, the chef presented the cake to me, as everyone smiled and cheered. Singing was avoided so as not to disturb the mindfulness of the ceremony, and I actually preferred the quiet affirmations everyone offered. Then the chef looked at me and said, “You can cut the cake in whatever way you want, but you can’t choose the slice you’ll get to eat.” Whoa! I realized the dilemma. Since it was my birthday, I might want a certain slice with more cake - but if I couldn’t choose, there was no guarantee of what I would get. I realized that even with my special status, the outcome was unknown, so I took extra care to cut the cake with perfectly measured exactly equal slices, knowing we would all get sufficient servings. The staff enjoyed the continuing celebration, and we all had nice sized pieces of cake, me included.
At the time, I assumed my cake decision was simply the most expedient way of deciding how to cut the cake, but then I remembered – the cook very specifically said I could not choose! Why? So I asked the chef was was going on. I was told that the full answer had to do with learning whether I was a Utilitarian, or a Libertarian – it was a test! The idea came from watching Patrick McGoohan’s highly influential TV series called The Prisoner, where the needs of an individual are overwhelmingly countered by collectivism in a Village, based on total control of the residents. McGoohan always said the series was designed to demonstrate a need for balance between the two end-points. If I was a Utilitarian, I would realize that when the slices are equal, everyone would have an equal chance of getting a good piece of cake. If I had varied the slice sizes, I might end up with a poor piece of cake unless I devised some way of manipulating others into picking poor pieces first, so that I would be left with a better piece of cake.
Several years later, when I was working on the movie set for Catch My Soul (a Rock version of Othello directed by McGoohan) my job was to protect and maintain guitar amplifiers throughout the snowy night, while the actors sheltered in their warm trailers. Even though it was the dead of winter, the script was set in the warm days of summer, and to simulate sweat the actors emerged from heavy fur coats and were sprayed with water. After 30 seconds of dialogue on camera, actors returned to their heated abodes while the rest of us stood in the cold snow till morning, when we rushed to our beds for warmth. In such a community environment, the importance of individual opportunity for the actors was stressed over equal rights or economic opportunity for everyone else. In our culture, this polarity is reflected many times over in our admiration for CEOs whose income is thousands of times that of workers, as well as corporations that seek to maximize profits for shareholders above all considerations for the larger community.
In the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spock says, “Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Captain Kirk answers, “Or the one.” This is a classic exploration of the Utilitarian and Libertarian views, offered in dialogue throughout the film. Artistic form and beauty have great influence on our understanding of morality and truth, and the Spock-Kirk dialogue was influential among movie goers who otherwise might never have considered such ethical dilemmas in a world where decision making is turned over to powerful iconic leaders.
History is absorbed from legends and historical novels, fables, and poems more than sermons, lectures, and laws. Story-tellers define our world view, and that is probably the way it should be. However, extremism in our time is a price we are paying for our passive acceptance of widespread social inequality and libertarian philosophy often carried under the banner of “freedom.” Authoritarian leaders, demagogues who promise moral and economic renewal, who champion the elimination of enemies without reservation, who call for a return to bygone days of glory and tradition, rise out of the masses. There is little dialogue or compromise, both essential in any democratic system.
It is in such times as these that great art appears in human culture, conveying larger truths and insights than the logic offered by limited political figures in search of personal aggrandizement – in other words it is time for us to proclaim the human voice where the needs of “the one” are balanced with the needs of “the many,” and the artists, musicians, and story tellers are the ones to do it.
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Thanks so much for your positive feedback, catherine! I hope it continues to enrich your time at reading...
Excellent piece!!!! I just finished it for the first time. I can assure you that I will be reading it again and again. This is a message that needs to be spread.