The Bond Brain - Thunderball

After having survived two hours and twenty three minutes of viewing SkyFall, I have selected perhaps the only passage in Thunderball wherein we get a glimpse of the Bond Brain. It bears on both movies and people.

Here’s the quote from a conversation Bond has with Domino during dinner:

I make up my own mind about men and women. What’s the good of other people’s opinions?

For those who haven’t yet seen the movie, perhaps you have glimpsed at the reviews. Many are favorable, some are not. But what does it really matter, because you bring to the movie your own filtration system of likes, dislikes, loyalty to the franchise, etc. It is only your opinion that will count when it comes to your enjoyment or lack thereof with respect to the movie. (In case anybody cares, I didn’t find it all that good, or all that Bond.)

On to people. Each one of us has unique experiences . Each one of us has a different degree of intelligence, tolerance, intolerance, passion, or cold bloodedness. Given the uniqueness of our makeup, Bond’s advice makes a great deal of sense. Make up your own mind, and don’t be overly influenced by the opinions of others.

Perhaps you are in sales. Other salespeople have opined that Company X is a bad prospect, or a tough sale, or some other negative thing. Yet, the unique you may feel differently, and obtain a different result than that predicted by your peers.

With respect to potential romantic partners, same thing. One man’s beauty is another man’s stimulus to a lifetime of celibacy. One man may like the adventurous type, and another the homebody. Neither are wrong. Neither are right. It is an individual taste matter, and as long as you are acting in accordance with your own unique set of parameters, you are doing fine.

There are of course times when other people’s opinions do count. Politics for example. Here we can count on them usually being wrong. Consumer marketing is another arena where the opinions of others are paramount. What does that lead to? Budweiser beer and McDonalds.

So whether it’s business, booze or your choice of bordello, keep your own counsel, and remember the above words of Bond.

This is the fifth novel examined in the Bond Brain: read also Casino Royale, From Russia With Love, Live and Let Die and Dr. No.

© 2012 W. Adam Mandelbaum Esq. - justiceneversleeps.net

Author of The Born Again Bachelor's Bible - Great tips for divorced or divorcing men
Member Association For Intelligence Officers
Former operative at NSA
Present New York Attorney

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