Earlier today I asked a colleague about finding sources of supplemental income outside the film industry, given the possibility of a diminished ad-revenue situation that may manifest in three or four months. Maybe.

The colleague mentioned this and that option, and then added the following: “The good news for you is that many of these jobs do criminal background checks, but not reputation checks. That will be helpful for you, as this can be an opportunity for you to start fresh with new attitudes and a new perspective on life and those who are different from you. In these trying times we can find golden moments of opportunity — we simply have to know how to identify them.

“Being brought low is often the first step in standing back up better than ever, and I do hope that you meet your coming challenges with honor and that you allow your change in circumstance to be a transformational experience. I believe that no one is born bad, that they over the years accumulate dirt and scratches just like a film print. But just like a film print, I believe we can all be restored to a more pristine state that will allow our original colors and images to vividly manifest as they always should have.”

HE response to colleague: “Thanks for all this, [name]. Thanks for taking the time to think about this. Wise and knowledgable stuff. I appreciate your experience. So you seem to basically believe that while I wasn’t ‘born bad’ I have more or less become that, and that I could become less of a judgmental asshole by working at [jobs that involve mingling with Average Joes]. Because working with Average Joes will instill humility, having been ‘brought low’, and broaden my horizons. I will thereby learn to appreciate the value of tedious mindsets, vulgarity, stupidity, ignorance, terrible taste in movies and music and clothing, the joys of junk food and offering one’s allegiance to Donald Trump.

“Maybe you’re right. I’m certainly looking forward to understanding these things more fully, and becoming a better person for that. I sound like I’m being facetious, I realize, but I do deeply appreciate you taking the time to think about this and consider all the angles. Seriously. Thanks. If I can return the favor in some way, don’t hesitate to ask. Thanks.”