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Connection Tunnels Madness Poetry Highlight Quotes "He stands like a statue, Becomes part of the machine. Feeling all the bumpers Always playing clean." "Tommy: See me, feel me Touch me, heal me. See me, feel me Touch me, heal me! Tommy can you hear me? Tommy can you hear me? Tommy can you hear me? How can he be saved?" "Listening to you I get the music. Gazing at you I get the heat Following you I climb the mountain I get excitement at your feet! Right behind you I see the millions On you I see the glory. From you I get the opinions From you I get the story. "If I told you what it takes to reach the highest high, You'd laugh and say 'nothing's that simple' But you've been told many times before Messiahs pointed to the door And no one had the guts to leave the temple! I'm free-I'm free And freedom tastes of reality I'm free-I'm free And I'm waiting for you to follow me." SPECIALIST AND ASSISTANT No machine can give the kind of stimulation Needed to remove his inner block. Go to the mirror, boy! Go to the mirror, boy! MRS. WALKER I often wonder what he is feeling. Has he ever heard a word I've said? MR. AND MRS. WALKER Look at him in the mirror, dreaming. What is happening in his head? (Tommy sees his four and ten-year old selves in the mirror.) THE TWO YOUNG TOMMYS Listening to you, I get the music; Gazing at you, I get the heat. Following you, I climb the mountain. I get excitement at your feet! THE THREE TOMMYS Right behind you, I see the millions; On you, I see the glory. From you, I get opinions; From you, I get the story. MR. AND MRS. WALKER What is happening in his head? Oooh, I wish I knew... I wish I knew. -----Pete Townshend

Highlight Tommy is an excellent example of the distinctions between inside and outside. While lost "in a quiet vibration land" this deaf, dumb and blind child manages to see himself in a mirror. But he is unable to respond to anything else. Through his infinite contact with himself he becomes a fully-realized person while still cut off from society as a whole. Once his mother breaks the mirror he sets out on a journey as a new messiah, attempting to lead others down the same path to enlightenment. (The movie sucked, though. Listen to the music. -- Gail Sullivan Deeper Follow Ups I think that one of the keys to understanding "Tommy" is that you can see your own reflection in a pinball. The ball becomes a metaphor for the self as it is bounced around from bumpers to pins and back. Our control of the fate of the ball/self is limited to the flippers and small movements that we can induce in the machine as long as we don't "tilt" or "drain." Connection to Spirtuality and Zen: The "gatha" of Shen-hsiu: The body is the Bhodi-tree. The mind is like a mirror bright; Take heed to keep it always clean And let not dust collect upon it. The reply of Hui-neng: there is no Bhodi-tree, Nor stand of mirror bright. Since all is void, Where can the dust alight? In a sense, Zen transceds the inner/outer distinction of mind and world. Phenomenon do not exist "out there" neither do they exist "inside the mind" They exist as they are, without discrimination. The "breaking of the mirror" is enlightenment. When we stop to reflect on our selves and see the world "as it is" then we can say "I'm Free and I'm waiting for you to follow me." Whether or not we wish to become Messiahs is a matter of choice (see Richard Bach's "Illusions"). --From Follow Up played by Basho A poem by Andy added as a follow up to Tommy -- R.C. C.- G.M. Game One. The Mirror just look at the mirror you see yourself but then look deeper look at your inner self swim through your thoughts gape at your imagination wonder at the infinite fields of your mind stare out over the endless horizon feel the wonderfulness of your dreams be blinded by your souls powerful light gaze at your minds throne stare at the unlimited, blue sky feel the warm sun of your self then come back to the mirror and look at your face again and then be marveled by the difference of your face and mind one others see and one only you can see -- Andy