So January 20th marks another historical day in U.S. history. Actually, world history. Unless you're catatonic or less than 2 years old, I really don't have to go into who or what Barack Obama is. I find it a great coincidence that he gets sworn in as our president the day after we celebrate Martin Luther King's Birthday. Consecutive celebrations of two American icons on the dawn of a new country. I use the word coincidence deliberately, because we often happen to look at that word as a mishap, or weird accident, or something completely unplanned. However, by definition, the word coincidence insinuates perfection, the idea that two or more ideas have come together at an exact moment in time. In math, when angles coincide, they come together perfectly.
Oddly enough, in numerology, I'm a 3. My girlfriend is a 3. She has 3 brothers. I just celebrated my 33rd birthday 9 days ago (divisible by 3). There were 33 people at my birthday party (At least via my count post-alcohol!). I am my mother's 3rd child. My brother, sister, and me celebrate birthdays that are exactly one month and 9 days apart. My daughter is her mother's 3rd child. Both my dad and my stepmom had 3 kids a-piece when they married each other. They had 3 more kids together. I have 3 nipples. One of them lactates. Martin Luther King was assassinated 30 years before Barack Obama was elected president. Coincidences? Or just plain old spooky? You decide!
Depsite the excitement surrounding the Presidential Inauguration, I've noticed a lot of people look at the country and point out the poor shape it's in. A long-standing war, the dawn of a second depression, record breaking unemployment, people stealing 50 BILLION dollars, selling senate seats and hell, even Ricardo Montalban died! Not Mr. Rourke, Lord! Anybody but Mr. Rourke! Right now, the country is on a strange see-saw state of fear and optimism. I've been pondering which one will take over as our collective consciousness. Because unlike most coincidence, fear and optimism usually don't work well when occupying the same time and space.
In one conversation, someone said to me that they thought within 6 months, the excitement will be lost, and the country will realize that Barack is no longer Spider Man, he's just Peter Parker (pre radio active spider bite, even). In another conversation with the same person they also said that they have seen more start up businesses than they had seen in a long time. Now sure, you can easily argue that people got laid off, so they've started businesses. But nobody just starts a business because they lost their job. They start a business because they have an undying belief that it's the right thing to do and the right time to do it.
That's where Obama comes in to play. What he has become is a symbol of opportunity. The idea that anyone can truly do anything. The idea of collective consciousness states that if enough people believe in something, then our so-called impossibilities are easily surpassed. Les Brown once told a story about how before 1970-something, no one, including scientists thought that a human being could run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Till finally "Joe Runner" comes a long and runs a 3:50-something. He goes on to state that since that time, over 20,000 people have recorded mile times of under 4 minutes. But nobody believed it was even physiologically possible till there was one! Ahston Kutcher recently stated that the economy could be fixed within 3-5 months... if enough people didn't think it was impossible. He's not the only one who's said this. So collective consciousness works both ways, if everyone believes that when you get AIDS or cancer you die, then you die. There's a reason people have beaten both. Also wear a condom and avoid nuclear power plants.
So whether you believe Barack is the guy or not, at least believe in the idea that anything is possible. He very well may not be the guy. Or he may turn out to be the best thing since free internet porn. Either way, be inspired by the fact that the country and the people around you are collectively inspired. Inspired = "In Spirit." We should all try to be in spirit every day. DC will be inundated with 6,000,000 extra people (divisible by 3!) on January 20th. All cheering for change and newness. Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will begin to change. Create your own inspirational experience by just being open to possibility.
Peace and Jheri Curl Grease... on the white house sofa!
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