Jack: Hey Banjo. I’m glad you could stop by the campfire tonight.

Banjo: Here’s your newspaper. I brought it from town today.

Jack: What’s this water stain on the newspaper, and is this toothpaste? Have you been reading my newspaper in the bathroom again?

Banjo: Well, I suppose I was.

Jack: Suppose? C’mon. You did or you didn’t.

Banjo: Not to change the subject, but there was an interesting article in it about the Enron bigwigs. They were found guilty of stealing money and cheating investors.

Jack: “Not to change the subject?” That’s exactly what you were doing.

Banjo: Anyhow, they should go to jail forever for cheating people like that.

Jack: You told me the other day as we were going the baseball game that you put vaseline on just the right place on your golf club, or maybe it was your golf ball, when the other guys weren’t looking, to “equalize” things since you couldn’t afford the newer clubs they had. And then you bet, to make a few bucks after you’d rigged things a bit. How’s that different from the Enron folk, except you never had a chance to cheat with that much money?

Banjo: Well, there’s big and little, and I’ve only ever done the little things that wouldn’t matter to anyone. And if I’d had their money I wouldn’t have needed to cheat anymore.

Jack: You’re just ignoring what you do - like you’re amazingly different when you can’t even be honest about something as small as a golf game where the temptation was only an extra bottle of beer or two after the round. Ignorance.

Banjo: Typical Buddhist. Always calling people ignorant, like they’re stupid or uneducated. And you think that’s nice?

Jack: There’s ignorance that education can fix. Some of what the Buddha taught was that. It does help to have someone teach you what you don’t know. The bigger problem I’ve run across in my life and others, though is that of ignor-ance, ignoring things - deliberately and negligently.

Banjo: Well, I’m not ignoring anything. I told you about the freakin’ golf game, didn’t I?

Jack: Well, the ignoring I see is ignoring that the difference between you and Ken Lay may simply be one of conditions, not character. If conditions were different, what makes you so sure your character would withstand the temptation? If one of those TV ad girls in a bikini jumped out of the screen into your lap, and promised never to tell Mattie, do you think your character would meet the test? Or are you just faithful to Mattie because you know there’s no chance in hell one of those girls would ever go for you?

Banjo: Well, I’d like to find out. If you can make them pop off the screen with your meditation, let me know. I’d like to test my character.

Jack: Well, you couldn’t keep from flirting with Emma at the picnic last year and she doesn’t look nearly as good as Mattie. So, I don’t have too much faith in the strength of your resolve. You couldn’t even keep your promise that you wouldn’t read my newspaper in the bathroom again. I guess the comics in the paper and the bathroom were just overwhelming conditions for you. It’s you ignoring yourself again, fooling yourself by refusing to pay attention to what you’re really like, and what you really do. Why do you think your character would suddenly improve if the temptations got bigger, and you could get by with so much more?

Banjo: Well, I think Ken Lay’s just basically worse than I could ever be.

Jack: Your belief that you’re so fundamentally different could land you in big trouble if conditions changed. Your currently minor flaws could suddenly tromp all the character you think you have into the dust. I’ve been tromped before.

Banjo: Despite all my “flaws” that you like to jump on, I’ve never stolen even a penny from you.

Jack: I’m not sure Ken Lay stole from his friends either. I trust you, except I’d never play a round of golf with you for money. And thanks for dropping by with the paper. Just don’t put it too close to the food.

Banjo: Mind if I stay the night?

Jack: You’re always welcome. and I sleep better anyhow with one eye open. — Just kidding. Sleep on the other side of the campfire though. You snore something awful - just like me. I’ve got an extra blanket if you need one.