W lives in a world where he goes by two names.  For him, seeking money is the only way to obtain the power necessary to make change in the world.

THE DINNER

6:00 p.m.

Jerusalem Restaurant

Pita with Hummus and Baba Ganoush followed by a very eclectic dinner buffet.

THE DISCUSSION

One cannot step into the lion’s den unprepared.  There is a danger that lurks in exposing oneself to another point of view.

W does not want to start by talking about himself.  He does not even go by his real name most of the time, using an anglicized derivative in its place. He is quite pleased to identify himself as the son of the lion which is what his given name means when translated from Arabic. W is yet another self described honest business man who wants to direct the conversation.  He claims he will be happy about whatever might be written, so long as his name is not used.

He is not ashamed of the work he does as an accountant maximizing individuals’ income tax returns. He says, “I do not trust the government. In my opinion they should have a budget, none of this deficit business. If you go over that budget, you’re out of a job. Every industry has that. If you can’t manage the people’s money, I don’t know why you are in government.”  He expands, “They waste money. They’re not accountable. Why give them more money?”

It is hard to know if W is more interested in money or power.  He sees the two as so interconnected that he believes money is the only way to make social change.  He demands that people “look at what they’re doing in Iraq or Afghanistan. They pay off everybody. There is something so hypocritical going on in the world.”  His hope is to “make as much money as possible in order to make change and hopefully not get corrupted in the process.”

He explains, “The standard of success is money. I don’t value money. I want money to satisfy something inside myself that says you can do it. The thing that I want is the challenge.” In fact, W argues that the children of very successful people are “at a disadvantage because they will never develop the drive to overcome their circumstances.”

What W is driven to do still seems unclear.  He says, “I was a certain way when I was younger and I was confident that was how I was supposed to be. Then I was older and I was a certain way and I was confident that was how I was supposed to be.  Now I’m older again and I just keep changing.”

If anything, his ideas have evolved to become more inclusive. His office staff and client base represent a full gamut of religions. He says, “Everybody has the choice. Believe what you would like. Please do not impose your will on me. Governments, I’m a strong believer, should not be run by religion. Governments should be governments. They should be elected into power to take care of the people.”

As to how a government should take care of people, W knows what they should not do. He is appalled that it has “become acceptable to torture individuals” and simply “cannot imagine that anyone would have the right to take another’s life.”  In short, he “believe[s] that governments should provide the tools for people.”

W has gone full circle over dinner.  He has eaten very little and buzzes with an energy that seems almost unnatural.  He can talk about patenting an online lotto gaming system and coveting money as a means to power as easily as he can confess that he is waiting to fall in love and that he was riveted to the television during Obama’s campaign.

W likes to hedge his bets, saying, “I have no impact, but I want to. I do have an impact, but it’s on a small level with certain types of individuals.  I am going to have an impact, god willing.”

His roar is every bit as ferocious as his name would suggest, but he is not one to tempt fate.  He says, “sometimes I think we just attach way too much importance to ourselves.”

STILL DIGESTING

It is clear that W wants to challenge me, but a power struggle is the furthest thing from his mind.  He knows I can hold my own and I hope he is holding his.

This is a man who wants to be recognized, although he is unsure for what. He is still waiting for love to find him despite the fact that he takes constant phone calls during our long dinner.  Everyone he talks to wonders who he is with and he gives each of them a different answer, as much for my amusement as his own. He tells them he is selling me stocks and I wonder out loud exactly what he thinks I’m buying.  He assures me that he is being completely honest so many times that I have to wonder.

And wonder I still do.  The online gaming idea he is patenting is beyond most people’s wildest imaginings.  He dares me to mention that he was involved in the Paul Bernardo case. These efforts to provoke are so transparent that there may be an artless truth to them. I know that I can like this man despite the fact that I may not like what he says or really know what he does. He, of course, wants me to “dig up the dirt” on people.

The dirt on him is that despite the fact that he can talk in circles, he is generous to a fault. That he wants to read my notes is gamesmanship and he plays the part of a gambler as only someone in desperate need of a sure thing can. That he will look for that sure thing in ways that do not interest me is as fascinating to him as it is me. His dirtiest secret is that he actually cares and is still unsure what to do about it.