Excerpt
We indulged ourselves in the gourmet delicacies (as he put it) and pleasant conversation, but my mind was otherwise occupied. This time it wasnt with Social Consequence Dynamics theory however, but rather with the immediate surroundings. Everything displayed in the house suggested this man was more than just a Professor of Sociology. Original paintings from the great masters adorned the walls in many rooms and antiques from all corners of the world were professionally displayed in glass cases. Coin collections, antique furniture, historical documents from the British Archives, and books so many books, including a collection of rare volumes worth over a million British Pounds, all indicated another life, a very lucrative life.
Academic conversation ensued for the next hour, and as he was finishing the last of his second cheeseburger he asked if I was ready for a tour of an Oxford library.
Are they still open? I asked, assuming he meant one of the many Oxford University libraries.
This is not one of the University libraries. he proclaimed. This one is just down the hall. It is my pride and joy, and of course, it is always open. Come take a look my lad!
As we walked down the hall, I could see a huge room through the double French doors that expanded to a new wing of the house. The room itself was very impressive, but the collection was overwhelming, over fifty thousand titles I was told. Massive, beautiful rich mahogany wood shelves extended all the way to the crown of the fifteen foot ceiling with shiny brass rails supporting the three rolling ladders on each side, which were used to reach the books at the top. In the midst of the room was a large granite statue of a multi-headed monster, specially accented by directional lights from both floor and ceiling, and Im sure quite eerie when the rest of the lights were dimmed. At the far end of the room, there was a double staircase with each side leading around behind the integrated stone and wood mantle of a large fireplace.
I was virtually speechless, but after taking it all in, I managed a compliment. David, this is absolutely beautiful, and quite impressive.
Why thank you young lad. Ive literally spent a lifetime building it, and I dont often get a chance to share it.
Where do the stairs at each side of the fireplace go? I asked.
Why dont you take a look? He said with a hint of pride.
I took the staircase on the left of the mantle while David hurried up the one on the right. I could see a faint smile on his face as the two cases rejoined to a landing behind the mantle revealing another room, but this one was different, and possibly more impressive than the first. A single wide staircase led down to the floor but one could exit the landing on an eight foot high catwalk that ran around the entire room. More books of course filled the floor-to-ceiling shelves, but on the floor of this room was a scale replica of the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Wow! I exclaimed.
I thought you might like that. He said with a laugh. I had it shipped piece by piece from a natural history museum in the States about three years ago. The vast majority of the bones are real. I even got to help with reassembling it Cretaceous Period you know.
Actually, I knew that. I said proudly. I loved dinosaurs as a kid and was fascinated by how the creatures evolved through each of the ages. It was my first real attempt at topographical prediction. I thought I could geometrically calculate what various creatures might look like if they were still around today. Speaking of which, what in the world is that stone statue monster in the front room? Ive never seen one of those in any paleontology textbook.
Oh thats the Chimera. He said. It was a horrible monster from an ancient Greek myth that killed people for entertainment, burned villages, destroyed crops, ate children, and caused all sorts of other mischief. There is probably a book on that somewhere in here. He said jokingly, standing in the midst of and making a circular gesture toward the packed book shelves.
Chimera notwithstanding, those actions dont sound like much of a myth. I pronounced sarcastically. In fact, my company sounds a lot like the Chimera and as I think about it, a lot of people do too maybe even most people.
It doesnt sound like you have much respect for them. He suggested empathetically, People I mean. Did something in your past cause you such cynicism, or was this a purely mathematical decision?
The conversation became much more serious as I vented about my disappointment in society, and how my feelings concerning people were largely what drove me in my current SCD research. I guess maybe I am a bit jaded. I admitted, But, I think Im entitled. As youve already alluded to, being a mathematician, I know I am very rule oriented, probably even too much so, but following the ever so few rules of simple respect seems like it should be fairly comprehensible to anyone. Yet, somehow Im still able to observe a hundred examples a day of the selfish motives that drive so many people to violate the confidence and trust of others. Secrets and lies seem to be the chosen interactions of people, scams and deceptive fine-print have become the trademarks of contemporary business transactions, and I hate to even conjecture about what motivates our governmental officials to action lies, deceit, cover-ups, corruption where does it end?
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