In Defense of George Lucas

Before You Crucify and Condemn Him Or Throw Him Any Further Under The Bus, Please Consider Where He Came From and What He’s Given Us:  Mr. George Lucas

 A long time ago, in Modesto, California…

We’re all know about George’s work in “a galaxy far, far away”, but very few people have looked for or are familiar with his other endeavors in film and later TV series.

Indiana Jones?  Recognize that name, perchance?  That came from George.

Ewoks, the little teddy-bear aliens from Star Wars Episode 6, Return of the Jedi, he created and executive produced an entire live action and animated TV series around these creatures.  More on the Star Wars saga later on.

The World War II film about a group of African-American pilots, Red Tails, the Tuskegee Airmen… George’s handiwork, too!

How many times have you watched Harrison Ford, as Indiana Jones, try to outrun that massive boulder at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark?  Me?  A bazillion, I’m sure.  And I don’t know if it was for effect or not, but when Indy stumbles and you’re sure he’ll get crushed, he gets right back up and high tails it out of that cave!  “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.”

Hold up, here!  Steven Spielberg directed that movie.  Yes, you’re right, but it was George who created the Indy character, based on early film serials from his youth.

Does this ring a bell with you?     The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones.

George Lucas.  The one and only.  He changed how Science Fiction movies were made and in the process created a world class Special Effects company, and gave it a really cool name:  Industrial Light and Magic. ILM. Next time you’re watching the credits of a film, look closely and I’m pretty sure you’ll see it there on the big screen.

It all began for young George back in 1971, with his first major motion picture, “THX 1138”.  Although it was not a commercial success for George, it did give him the confidence to push forward and make, “American Graffiti”, in 1973.  Graffiti, by the way, helped to spawn the hit TV show, “Happy Days”, which coincidentally starred Ron Howard; also in Graffiti, future Indiana Jones star, Harrison Ford.

George worked on the script for his next project, “Star Wars” for nearly two years.  Given the green light by Fox Studios’ head, Alan Ladd, George then made a very lucrative deal, unheard of at the time.  Instead of accepting huge pay raise for directing his new project, George went to the heads of Fox with a small proposal, to keep his salary at $150,000 in exchange for two seemingly insignificant requests: 1) That he retain all merchandising rights, and 2) that he would retain the rights to any sequels. At the time this was actually a fantastic deal for the studio. As for sequel rights, these were also not an important factor for Fox considering the fact that no executive thought the movie had any chance of making money the first time around. So off George went to finalize his script with $150,000 and what must have seemed like an incredibly naive contract in his pocket in 1973.

The rest, well, is history.  His current net worth is right around $7.5 billion.  Not bad for a kid from Modesto.  But, hey, remember… it’s just money.

Now, wait a minute.  What about the Star Wars prequels?  And specifically that annoying, racist, and offensive character, Jar Jar Binks?  Yeah, you’re right.  And even his ears look like dread-locks.  His walk?  Eh.

More time, actually, much more time could have been spent on a species that was much less offensive and much more endearing than the Gungans.  Almost anything would have been better.  I can let that part go, because, well, for me I kept trying to imagine what the technology would have looked like if it had truly been older and more dumbed-down than the original trilogy.

Yes, of course, Jar Jar was annoying and incredibly offensive (and stepping in that feces?? Yikes.)  But that aside, George and his team really should have made the overall look and feel of those three movies older, since they were supposed to be a prequels.  Would-a, could-a, should-a, right?

In the end, for me, I have only good things to say about George.  His first movie that I saw was American Graffiti.  It came out in the summer of 1973, I was to start high school in the fall and my friends and I hung around blasting the soundtrack on the radio, laughing to Wolfman Jack, humming, singing a few bars of Why Do Fools Fall in Love?, and, Chantilly Lace.  It was a magical time for me, and of course, I thank George for that.

I remember in 1977, opening night of Star Wars at the Westgate Theatre in Beaverton, Oregon.  It was amazing.  Incredible!  We’d never seen anything like it before, but we knew we had to see this thing again and again and again.  That’s how cool it was.

Mr. Lucas. George. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the wonderful movies, TV shows, and the funny and amazing characters you’ve created.  

For me, you’re still the best, and May The Force Be With You... Always!

The Outside World

Outer Space

Offline

Real/Non-virtual reality

Unplugged/dead battery

Real issues

What happens when the power goes away?

Well, the short answer is that you’ll have to actually deal with others.  In person.  Face-to-face.  For most young people, that’s an incredibly scary thought because they are so plugged into technology devices that they don’t know how to carry on a conversation when it involves making eye contact and speaking in more than 140 character sound bites.

But this goes beyond just young people not knowing how to communicate politely and appropriately to older people.  It’s about how they were raised, and apparently, there was little or no connection to older people as they were growing up, during their childhood.

Further, it truly seems as though that lack of interaction with adults has lead to a major distrust between the generations.  Has that always existed?   In some form, yes.  (“Never trust anyone over 30,” was made popular in the 1960s.)

Many things need to happen, and it’s not about regulating how or where devices are used.  It’s about taking time to educate young people about talking to adults that aren’t their parents.  Yes, you should still talk to your children about “Stranger Danger.”  But you should also talk to them about acting appropriately around adults… in the real world, the offline, unplugged world.

Now, I know you’re thinking, “You old people can’t tell me what to do!”  And, you’re right. We can’t.  And shouldn’t… but, you kids, you young people, really do need to learn when to put down and turn off your smart phones, iPhones, iPods, etc.  Oh, and news flash:  adults are just as guilty here, too!

The point(s) I’m making is that when you’re in the presence of an adult, recognize it, put your device away (or take out the earbuds), and acknowledge him/her.  Smile. Say, “Hi. How’s your day going?”  Just anything to show that you see him/her.

I’m not talking about the old adage: Respect your elders.  No, respect has to be earned, just like trust.

Hey, who knows?  You just might be surprised by the interaction and make a new friend.

End Of An Era

I don't know exactly when it ended, but I think it was right around Thanksgiving 2013.  We'd known each other since 1998, when we met up in my home, had a few beers and became fast friends.

Then, less than 2 years later, I did something horrible, unspeakable, not directly to my new friend and not to my family, but nonetheless it was something that would forever change my life and those in my little universe.

Now, 17 years later, it was over with.  

I understood completely why, too.  I'd gone from being very outgoing, fun-loving, full-of-life to this sad, pathetic, shell of a man, suffering every day from depression.

I'm not a victim; far from it.  I absolutely take full responsibility for that which I caused, that thing that now kept people away.  

I wish things were different; I really do. *sigh*

Nobody wanted to be around.  Hell, I didn't want to be around me; that's how bad it is.

I hate where I'm living, so, I am doing what I can to save money in order to make a down payment on a house later this year... hopefully.  This place has gone from being very safe and nurturing to one filled with drug abusers, liars, enablers and psychopaths.  

Every day I look at my neighbors and wonder, "Who the hell are these people???"

I'm not perfect; far from it, but I also don't enable, use drugs or lie.  

Depression is my issue and mine alone.  Do others out there also live with it?  Absolutely, but it's not a badge-of-honor, it's a sentence.

I know why my one-time friend doesn't want to spend time with me:  Because I'm not the person I was when we first met.  And it's not about changing.  It's about that I didn't change for the better, just older and worse.

I guess if someone doesn't answer your email after a couple of weeks or take your phone calls after a few days it's probably time to wash your hands of them and move on.

Perhaps?

In My Wildest Dreams

In my wildest dreams, I never could have imagined our paths would cross again.

It had been 12 years since I held his little hands in mine.

If I close my eyes really tight, I can almost hear his tiny voice saying my name, "Daddy."

It was like another lifetime ago, all those years. I don't even remember what kept him away:  

Something I'd done?

Perhaps.

I'd forgotten what he looked like, his scent as I hugged him, his heart beating.

I could vaguely make out his silhouette at the end of the block.

As we approached one another, made eye contact, and then just the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. 

Somehow deep down inside I knew all those years, all those bad feelings would just melt away as we shook hands.

Then he spoke, "Dad, it's good to see you."

End Of The Rainbow

When we think of a rainbow, we tend to think of a pot of gold at one end of it… and, just maybe a leprechaun carefully guarding it!

In another sense, the rainbow can be thought of as a journey, or a path along which we travel daily in our lives.  It may be a favorite destination such as a coffee shop, a little boutique, a neighborhood park, or even a special person in your life.

Milestones is our lives can be considered pots of gold such as our first tentative steps, our first words, learning to tie our shoes, using the potty, Kindergarten graduation, High School graduation, college graduation, and so on.  Once we achieve them, and after we’ve sufficiently celebrated our pot of gold, we sit quietly, deep in thought, and put pen to paper to write down our next goal.

Depending on your perception, the rainbow’s end might be something as simple as meeting up with an old friend with whom you share a history.  Having a cup of coffee and a snack, going for a walk, or just sitting and reminiscing about “the good old days.”

For me, it’s spending time with someone special: A neighbor, a close friend, a therapist or counselor; those quiet moments with deep feelings are the ones I cherish most these days.  New memories upon which I can build new experiences, new sights, new sounds, a feast for the senses.

As Dorothy sings, “If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow,

                                    Why, oh why, can’t I?”

You can.   

Get out there and find your rainbow’s end.

The Teddy Bear Unit

All teachers, even college and university professors have a favorite unit of study that’s like a pet-project for them.  At the elementary/grade-school level it might be a unit on Teddy Bears, or Dinosaurs, or Space, or even Cats.  Those units are usually referred to as “Teddy Bear” units because the teacher just loves the time spent teaching and imparting that knowledge on to the youngsters in his charge.

The unit doesn’t tend to contain any great secrets or even lots and lots heavy academic skills or principles.  Oh, sure, there are actual objectives (The student will learn to spell the names of 2 dinosaurs; the student will learn the names, in order, of the 8 planets in our Solar System, and so on.), but the theme throughout remains the same:  Teddy Bears.  Or Space.  Or Dinosaurs.

Typically the unit includes a lesson or two about the origin of Teddy Bears (Theodore Roosevelt), various bears from around the world, films (DVDs nowadays), how-to-draw a Teddy Bear, for the very young perhaps bear-shaped pancakes or created-a-bear-face cookies, and even a writing lesson about, “How To Be A Beary Good Friend!”  This last one, of course, would be done in a blank bear shaped book, whereby the students decorate their book covers after they’ve written their bear stories. 

Oh, and let’s not forget the “Bring-Your-Bear-To-School” day as a culminating activity.  This would, naturally, include a Teddy Bears’ Picnic and bear-themed foods as well.  Teddy Grahams come to mind!

In recent years the Teddy Bear unit has fallen by the wayside as the primary focus in education at all levels is on testing, how-to-take tests, practice tests, how to proctor tests, peer testing, how-to-do various types of tests questions (typically long before the child is ready for such material.), and lastly, how to deal with “test taking anxiety.”

Solution(s) to that problem?  Oh, there are lots of ways in which we can help youngsters become more comfortable taking tests, namely, reminding them that’s it’s simply another form of practice, but bottom line, those tests, exams, quizzes, story problems, multiple choice questions, fill-in-the-blanks, and other types of testing items aren’t going away any time soon.

My personal suggestion, let kids be kids, and monitor their daily work. That’s the best way to see how they are really doing in school.  Oh, and talk to them about specific things they did in school today, i.e., what game(s) did you play at recess, did you color another pretty picture for mommy and daddy, did you share a toy with a friend today, did you say something nice to someone today.

They are perfectly imperfect little creatures.  Hug them, kiss them, and tell them that you love them each and every day!  That’s the Teddy Bear way! 

Thaddeus J. Bear