Through a Different Lens

Jack* is a connoisseur of gadgets. Whenever he comes in, he has at least one of these around his neck: CD Walkman, regular Walkman, MP3 player, digital camera, video camera, binoculars, Gameboy, stopwatch. He is prepared for all emergencies and photo ops. He is the ultimate paparazzi. His speech is poor; he is now in his 50s and seems to have an unlimited budget for items that beep, click, and whir.

I see him a couple times a year, when his group home staff become worried about him or for his state-mandated physical. He is proper, shaking hands gravely and inquiring about the doctor with whom he feels a great camaraderie. On this day, he is here for his physical. I note the diagnoses: 1) Mental Retardation; 2) Agitation with psychosis. I have seen no evidence of the latter in the four years I have known Jack, a testament to modern medication. As I do his physical, I work around the video camera on his chest when I auscultate.

Later, as I fill out his form, we talk, and he points to the video camera. I lean in to look as he rewinds the tape. He flips open the viewer to display a scene. I see a clear picture of an open box of batteries on a wooden table piled with books and papers, which are fluttering – flipped by the intermittent breeze of an oscillating fan. The soundtrack is a loud, driving techno-funk that was playing on the house stereo at the time. I watch the unchanging, occasionally wobbling, scene for 10 minutes, and then Jack flips the viewer shut. I sit for a minute, taking it in. "Wow, Jack. That was cool. What was it?"

He smiles proudly and says, "A sunset."

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