Faces

By G. E. Shuman

Friday, August 17^th, was Lorna’s and my fortieth anniversary. Yes, I know. I already told you about that momentous event, in my last column. This time I just want to mention something that I came to realize, not because of that anniversary, but because of how and where we celebrated that anniversary. Most couples, when reaching their late fifties and having been married since Richard Nixon was president, would spend their anniversary taking a cruise, or going to a Broadway show. If you know my wife, or if you know me, you know that we are not ’most couples.’ We spent our anniversary at Disney World. That’s right, just the two of us, and about a million sweaty strangers, visited the big mouse for the solid week that included August 17^th. Who actually goes to Florida in August, anyway? Apparently, a lot of people do.

What I want to talk to you about today is a realization that I had while we were strolling around one of those huge, ornate, and over-the-top parks in the wonderful world of Disney. (Remember the TV show?) I would call my realization an epiphany, but I can’t even spell epiphany without a word processor, and am not altogether sure I believe in something I can’t spell. You know, you have time for realizations in a Disney park. In fact, you have time for many realizations, while standing in those lines, or while looking for a shady spot to rest in. One thing that I realized is that we humans have done at least one thing that God told us to do. We have been fruitful, and we have multiplied, and those are understatements. We have replenished the earth… and then some. God did not need to tell us twice, on that account.

The bigger thing… the thing I really want to talk about here, is the idea of faces, and the realization of what they truly are. I know, humans are not the only living earth creatures with faces. If you are an animal lover you will be quick to point that out to me. Our dog has a face. So does yours, unless you don’t have a dog. In that case it doesn’t have a face. Our dog happens to be a Pekingese, and so she barely has a nose, but she does have a face. (Someone once said that she looks like she has been chasing parked cars.) Vegetarians say that you shouldn’t eat anything with a face. I agree, and always check to be sure that my cheeseburger is not smiling back at me from the plate.

I do believe that, of all of God’s creatures, humans are the only breathing beings who are like snowflakes. No two of us are alike… because no two faces are alike. You can trust me on this point, as I have checked. No one at Disney World last week looked exactly like anyone else, not even among the several sets of twins that I saw there. I never actually realized that before, and wanted to tell you about it. I hope you are duly impressed. To me, that is one realization that is amazing. Every one of those many thousands of sweaty people I saw last week was unique. Every single face was different from every other, and this is different from in the animal, non human, world. Although our dog might not look exactly like every other Pekingese dog, she is the spitting image of about a million of them. The same goes for bats and rats and alley cats. And for camels, and lions, and dolphins. Also for ants, and uncles of ants, and cows, and daughters of cows.

My biggest realization last week was that I believe there is a reason why humans are all so different from the animals, and from each other. I believe it is intentional, and that our different faces are part of what makes us individuals. It has been said that we are all the same on the inside, in spite of our outer appearance. But that is not quite true. We are all equal, but are not all the same, on the in or the out side. I am me. You are you. We are all, more than any of the animals, unique. I once received a birthday card that said “You’re special, just like everybody else.” That was supposed to be a joke. The truth is, it’s the truth. I am special, and so are you. I am unique, and so are you. I believe that God, in His infinite wisdom, created humankind as a race of individuals, and somehow arranged for all six billion of us on the earth to have different faces. We are not just another animal species. We are aware of our mortality, and, whether or not everyone wants to admit it, we are aware of the reality of the existence of God. If this were not so, why are so many people trying to deny Him? I know that you know that this is the truth. Just look in a mirror. It’s written all over your face.