Reflections

SCENE ONE

A body faces me. He asks, "Who am I?" from the other side of the mirror.

"Who am I?" I respond. "What decisions do I make? What core beliefs do I have? What do I represent? 'Am I?' Am I at all?"

"Nonsense," the mirror responds. You have feelings, beliefs, principles. You sometimes say no. 'Am I?' is such a ridiculous question for a human being such as your self to ask."

"I mostly just sustain things and reflect..."

"Please, don't get personal," the mirror interrupts. "You sound so derisive when you say 'reflect'."

"I sit on a couch that my grandparents bought 35 years ago. My parents gave me my beds and dressers long ago. I consider myself an 'engineer' based on a 22 year old degree. I volunteer to do work, precisely because I don't enjoy it."

"I was with you,"Mr. Mirror replies,
"until that part about doing stuff because you don't enjoy it. I was really empathizing. But, why would you do something because you don't enjoy it?"

"I think of it as exercise."

"Exercise?", replies the mirror. "I've noticed that you could do well by exercising more."

"This is really very complicated. Please stay with me."

"Too complicated for dumb Mr. Mirror to understand? You really think a lot of yourself!"

"Quite the opposite."'Who am I?' was your original question. "'Am I', at all?' was my reply."

"That you hang onto your past-- the couch, the beds, the degree-- indicates that you are. You obviously stand for something. The weird part is why you would do something because you don't enjoy it."

SCENE TWO

"You followed me all of the way to the ballpark?"

"I prefer the mirror, mirror on the wall, full-color mode. But, I don't mind being a shadow. It's important to get out once in awhile. I didn't know you liked baseball?"

"For my shadow, you certainly haven't paid much attention to me during my lifetime."

"Pardon me. But, have you ever been a shadow? You think it's bad when a tall person is in front of you at a concert. I'm usually on someone's back or on the floor."

"Sorry."
"As a boy, I wanted to be a ballplayer, even though I never learned how to throw very well. I enjoyed thinking about the statistics. Anyway, I developed a good sense of probability, which made it easy for me to become an engineer."

"So, you became an engineer because it was easy."

"Yes, Mr. Mirror Slash Shadow. It was easy and it paid well."

"Common now. You liked more than the money."

"Yes. I got satisfaction out of always coming up with the correct answer, and in having perfect judgment about engineering projects."

"You certainly have a big head for a creature of biology," the Shadow responds.

"Let me phrase it more precisely. If I had been able to do my job as I saw fit, I would have been the fiftieth most valuable employee in a company of thousands. Top fifty, at least."

"So, you fancied yourself as executive material and were annoyed because the company didn't see it that way."

"No. An executive's job is to make people follow, which has nothing to do with innate skills at making good business decisions.

"Nothing?" disagreed the Shadow.

"Put it this way. Despite the situation in Iraq, and my political beliefs, I think our country's chief executive is a very talented executive.

"So, causing change, rightly or wrongly, is what executives are good at. You weren't good at causing change."

"I had my moments. But, you are correct. I feel that people should be able to believe what they want to believe, correct or not correct. Who am I to make them think otherwise? I make a reluctant leader."

"The 'am I at all?' response, back when I was a mirror, told me that. So, you could have caused change if you had wanted?"

"I was sort of in charge."

"I don't think you know one way or the other whether you were in charge or whether you were as talented as you seem to believe."

"Whatever you believe is fine with me."

"OK, then. I believe you don't care what others believe."

"I learned that people make decisions based on their roles, rather than the facts. As a 'boss', 'my employees' always would agree with me."

"...and that pissed you off? You are a weird creature. You are also long-winded. What do events of five or ten years ago have to do with today?"

"I'm motivated. I work to improve myself. I exercise my skills."

"Some people would run up mountains and look better in the mirror as the result."

"I volunteered to do similar work."

"Baseball statistics and engineering-- the type of stuff you like?"

"It sounds like something that I might do well at. But, that doesn't mean I have to enjoy it."

"How many top notch students play hookie?"

"I get your point. I maybe played hookie once or twice."

"Out of habit, you do this work to exercise the muscles you needed for your old job, the job that frustrated you so much that you quit."

"Only The Shadow knows for sure."

SCENE THREE

"Your fortune cookie... Last week it said 'write your own future'. I know you are capable, at least a little capable...

Why do you look at me like that?

Okay. I'm a mirror image. I'm a shadow. I dabble in fortune cookies. Like you, Mr. Bigheaded Biological Creature, I have many talents...
By the way, how is the baseball game going?

"I don't know. I haven't paid attention."

"Who are you?"

"I'm the type of person who would sell his house, put my belongings in storage, travel, interview people, and release CDs."

"Maybe, you are,"says a voice in the shadows.

"Maybe, you are,"I hear from behind a mirror.

"YOU ARE EXACTLY WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE," a fortune cookie responds.