<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are in Professor Faggioli\u2019s office.
Banani\u2019s session continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Faggioli (in an inspired tone, hands clasped behind his back, eyes distant):
Banani. Have you ever stopped to really observe elevator button panels?
Not just look at them. I mean really observe.
Listen to them.
Because every button panel has its own character.
A personality. A mechanical soul.
I\u2026 I\u2019ve been observing them for years.
In shopping malls, hospitals, parking garages.
Sometimes I don\u2019t even get in; I just approach,
study the layout of the buttons,
the fingerprints left behind,
the spacing between each one.
Some button panels speak elegantly.
Others shout, shove, shine too much.
Some want to be modern, with glass and touch screens.
But I prefer the old ones,
with buttons that click,
that resist just beneath your finger,
that seem to say:
\u201cIf you want to go up, prove you\u2019re worthy.\u201d
Once, I found a button panel
with the fourth floor button pressed so many times
that it lost its letter.
It had become just a smooth circle,
like a nameless mystery.
And you know what, Banani?
I stood there for twenty minutes.
Not to go up.
Just to contemplate.
Button panels\u2026
are confessionals for vertical travelers.
Maps of desires.
Small temples at thumb\u2019s reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Faggioli pauses. Then he sits down, very serious, and in a whisper:)
Yes, Banani.
I am a button panel observer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flashback \u2013 Basement of an office building, night time.
The space is bare, lit by flickering neon lights. The only sound is the hum of the lighting and, down the corridor, an elevator with closed doors.
In front of the button panel, Professor Faggioli stands still.
Eyes fixed on the panel.
Glass-like gaze, unkempt beard, dust-stained pants.
No bag, no watch. Just him and the elevator buttons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The building owner arrives, an elderly man in a wrinkled coat, accompanied by two paramedics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Owner (astonished):
There he is. Still there. Hasn\u2019t moved an inch.
He must have been here for days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The paramedics cautiously approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paramedic 1 (looking closely at Faggioli):
Regular pulse, but his gaze is completely vacant.
Catatonic. His eyes only follow the buttons\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Owner (sighing):
I thought he was an installer on break.
Then I noticed he wasn\u2019t eating. Nor drinking. Just\u2026 staring.\ud83e\udd23<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The paramedics gently place Faggioli on a stretcher. He offers no resistance. His arms remain still at his sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paramedic 2 (while loading him into the ambulance):
It\u2019s like he saw something\u2026 something too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Faggioli (barely audible, murmuring):
\u2026the button with no floor\u2026
\u2026what happens if I press it\u2026\ud83e\udd23<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The elevator doors close. The ambulance drives away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Igor:
Have I ever stopped to observe elevator button panels? No! Never. In fact, when I get in an elevator I close my eyes and feel for the button by touch! \ud83e\udd23
\u2026As for Faggioli and his elevator romanticism\u2026 no words! It explains itself.\ud83e\udd23
\u2026Again here, Faggioli isn\u2019t the only one living outside reality. When the owner says Faggioli \u201cwasn\u2019t eating or drinking,\u201d that just confirms it! \ud83e\udd23
\u2026Excuse me, Mr. Owner. But what was he supposed to do? Eat and drink in the elevator? \ud83e\udd23
\u2026Maybe he could have brought in a table, a chair, and a menu! \ud83e\udd23
\u2026No, friends! We underestimated this owner. Turns out he\u2019s a real entrepreneur! He wanted to open a restaurant in the elevator! \ud83e\udd23
\u2026Who would\u2019ve thought? A genius! \ud83e\udd23<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We are in Professor Faggioli\u2019s office.Banani\u2019s session continues. Faggioli (in an inspired tone, hands clasped behind his back, eyes distant):Banani. Have you ever stopped to really observe elevator button panels?Not just look at them. I mean really observe.Listen to them.Because every button panel has its own character.A personality. A mechanical soul.I\u2026 I\u2019ve been observing them … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-episode"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5344"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/savedblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5345,"href":"https:\/\/savedblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5344\/revisions\/5345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}