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Marcy Mattson • Barbara Fisher

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Phenomenon
by Barbara Fisher

The New Oxford Dictionary of English defines “phenomenon” as a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question. In other words, a phenomenon is an event that cannot be understood.

One of my favorite movies is “Phenomenon”, starring John Travolta. His character, George Malley, is a happy-go-lucky small town guy in his thirties. He owns the local garage and enjoys working in his vegetable garden. His needs are simple, his friends are plentiful, and life is good.

One night George steps out of the local bar, where his friends have thrown him a birthday party, when a strange event happens. There’s a loud boom and a flash of light that knock George off his feet. After that experience his life begins to change. Let’s not give away too much of the plot. It’s a movie well worth renting and suitable for family viewing. However, one of George’s “problems” is of special interest. He suddenly becomes “smarter,” or at least seems smarter because he develops a fierce enthusiasm for reading. He has trouble sleeping so he reads. He reads three or four books a night and becomes expert on topics he never even thought about before.

As George develops the abilities to solve problems, assemble complex machinery, and learn foreign languages his friends become uncomfortable around him. Suddenly they’re suspicious of a guy they’ve known and liked all their lives. One of his buddies corners him one night and asks him, “George, have you really read all of those books? Why do you read all the time?”

George replies, “Isn’t there anything you’ve ever wanted to know about or be able to do? Think about it!” It made me think! There are so many things I want to know about or be able to do. I can find all of it in books. I can find all of it on the Internet, for that matter, but I still need the ability to read and comprehend it. To George’s friends, his sudden thirst for knowledge makes him seem creepy, and they become suspicious of him.

This makes me wonder whether it is just “not cool” to want to go to school and to want to learn. Is this what holds some of our young people back from doing their best? Do we have students who like school, who want to go to tutoring, homework lab, and who aspire to go further up the educational ladder? Do their friends make them uncomfortable for wanting to learn? Aren’t there things they have ever wanted to know about or be able to do? Think about it.