Zoom Dinners and a jacket offer food for thought

Two unconnected events happened last week.

Or are they connected?

I’ll call the first event “The Zoom Dinner.” The second I’ll call “The Shopper’s Jacket.”

The Zoom Dinner

In a recent column, I promised to share the experience of my first Zoom Dinner.

My friend Chris and I logged into our first Zoom Dinner last Thursday at 6 p.m.

For once, I took time to prepare a decent meal — and one that wouldn’t dribble too much as I sat at my keyboard.

I found a sense of anticipation as I arranged my plate — mixed veggies with Panera mac and cheese and a cucumber salad. For dessert, I had canned mixed fruit salad. OK, this wasn’t gourmet. It resembled nursing home food — well maybe not the cucumbers, but the rest.

Just don’t tell my kids how much I like soft, bland, institutional foods. I don’t want them prompted to look for a placement for me.

Chris also had her dinner on her plate — her food was yummier than mine. But I couldn’t sample hers since she lives in another city.

We talked about our lives and then moved into a conversation about artificial intelligence (AI). We are both concerned that AI may not be beneficial for humanity.

Our time went too fast. We’ll pick up where we left off at our next Zoom Dinner.

The Shopper’s Jacket

Earlier that day — at King Soopers — another shopper and I arrived at the check-out line at the same time.

I gestured for him to go ahead since he only had a few items in his basket.

As he proceeded, I noticed a logo on his jacket advertising a rifle. Not a semi-automatic or militarytype weapon. Just a rifle.

After he finished checking out, he nodded a sincere thanks.

He didn’t take a favor for granted. He was appreciative.

“This man represents Loveland’s neighborliness at its best,” I thought.

I left the store with a warm feeling about humanity.

Later that day, my mind returned to the rifle logo on the shopper’s jacket.

“Would I think differently of this man if his jacket brandished a logo for a military-type assault rifle?”

Would I think of him only as an “opponent” to my way of thinking? As “different” from me?

If he advertised assault weapons on his jacket, could I see his humanity? Our common humanity? After all, there he was shopping, buying carrots and celery. Maybe an onion or two. Was he planning to fix dinner? Or going to one of his kids’ sports events?

Most of us want the same things — a place to live, food and warm relationships. Are we willing to see each other beyond our tribalism? Our divisions?

It’s easy to put people into categories. Into groups. And to judge them by their groups.

Would we be willing to have Zoom Dinners with people who seemed different from us? Those with different political views from us?

Could we listen to one another during such Zoom dinners?

After all, we’re all hanging on as best as we can during these dizzying times.

Readers, what do you think?