willing to substitute one piece of art for another one. We would
rather add another one but not substitute, right?
Gamma: Yeah, sounds good. While I might agree, it is not that clear
to me yet.
The Last Summary
Teacher: I have never felt so exhausted. A lot of thinking and talking, a
lot of ideas, a lot of confusion.
Gamma: I feel compassion for lawmakers.
Delta: Please, don’t. It never seems like they are very troubled by these
issues.
Kappa: It is our society, then, for whom we must have compassion.
Beta: You took the words right out of my mouth.
Teacher: All right, let it be our last summary today.
A Few Afterthoughts
These thoughts came to mind while I was listening to the students. I did not want to interrupt them so made notes.
To Alpha
Cultural needs do not go away when satisfied but instead inspire thinking, discussion (you said “walk and talk”), critique, remembering, recalling, repeating, quoting, following, etc. Sometimes you like a book so much that you start reading it again as soon as you finish it. You can read the entire thing or certain parts, trying to remember selected passages, trying to relate it to yourself. . . . None of that applies to physical objects in general or consumer goods in particular. You may like a meal and eat it once in a while, but that’s it.
To Kappa
If someone is watching TV continuously, he or she never or rarely sees the same movie or show. The programs must keep changing and oftentimes are forgotten. We are hardly dealing with an audience in
