By Jim Hagarty
We all have our various things that fascinate us. Some we have in common, other are unique to each of us. These are the things that help keep life interesting.
In my case, and I can’t explain why these things hold my gaze, I am enthralled with the following.
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Robots. I can’t watch enough videos about robots, especially those that are made to resemble humans. They scare me a little, but are a tangible example of the power of human ingenuity.
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Outer space. I am not alone in this. Most news websites carry lots of stories about space. They are sure-fire “clickbait”. It is an ancient interest. Cavemen peered into the night sky and said, “Ooogah, oogahi” which is caveman for, “What the hell?”
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Old cars. No better and more observable time capsules all around us. Motorized museums.
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Technological advances. I was sitting with a friend at an outdoor restaurant recently when he suddenly started having a conversation into thin air. He had just gotten a phone call. His hearing aids are equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology. I hate hearing aids but just might have to pick me up a pair.
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Ghosts. Not a big believer in them, but not arrogant enough to think there is no such phenomenon. I do believe our soul existed somewhere in space before it was embodied in flesh and bone and exists after it leaves its earthly shelter. No proof, just a hunch. Ghost hunters are little spooky in themselves. But braver than I am. The crew that spent the night in Dracula’s 14th century castle in Transylvania a while back come to mind. I was once asked to look after an old farmhouse while its owners were away. I turned on a light the entranceway when I entered the place, then went through the house, upstairs and down, checking on things and watering plants. When I returned, the light was off. I thought the bulb had burned out. But I flicked the switch anyway. It came back on again. I achieved a land-speed record for running to my car and racing down the long, spooky driveway to the main road. A woman had died in the house years before.
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People. I am a dedicated people watcher. I would rather spend a day at the mall doing that than touring a zoo. A seal is a seal, a gorilla, a gorilla. But people come in so many varieties, I will never get tired of watching them. When my family and I go to the mall to shop and they fret about my having nothing to do, I tell them I will be fine. Then I park my butt in a strategic location and watch the passersby. Young lovers. Moms and kids. Old folks. Fascinating.
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History. Or to be more precise, things that still exist on earth that have a historical connection. To stand in the theatre where Abe Lincoln was shot, or Charlemange’s cathedral in Aachen which was built in the 800s and which looks like it went up yesterday, or Alexander Graham Bell’s bedroom in Canada (yay for us!) where he got the idea for the telephone and worked on prototypes, are high points in my life. I have seen a famous rock in Ireland where St. Patrick baptized a king in the 400s.
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Live theatre. It is an amazing experience to watch a group of people co-ordinate their actions and voices in such an incredible blend to bring tears and laughter to audiences. So much goes into a good show, both on stage and behind the scenes, that it almost defies imagination.
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Music. I used to have limited tastes but now I like almost everything. But a popular song, well-crafted, is a thing to behold. It originated from someone’s imagination and then is developed into such a thing of beauty it can be breathtaking. More than once, on hearing a new song on the radio, I have had to pull my car off to the shoulder so I could fully appreciate it.
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Animals, wild and domesticated. I prefer to meet them up close domestically, from a distance wild. But to see them live their lives with the same needs, hopes and desires we have and to watch them interact with the world around them is a study in awesomeness unlimited.
