What the World Needs Now is More Bieber Fever!

Image via WikipediaI am the first to complain about television programming for teens.  I can barely stand it!   Shows where the parents and teachers are depicted as complete morons or where the parents don’t even exist yet somehow the kids live in a downtown loft and wear designer clothes is so beyond reality that I begin to wonder if my kids will ever want to work.  And why should they?  Everything they see in the media today is about slacking off, doing nothing yet living off the manna that somehow magically sustains their “have it all” life style.

So, how my daughter talked me into watching the Justin Bieber movie Never Say Never with her, I’ll never know.  I suppose being asked to do anything with my fourteen year old daughter is an opportunity I didn’t want to miss, besides I was curious about all the hype surrounding this child star.  I assumed he was just another Disney formulated star but boy was I wrong!

First of all, the kid isn’t even American, he’s Canadian.  Second, he comes from nothing and actually has talent.  Yes, it’s true!  The movie brought me to tears on several occasions as his single, teen-aged mom and supportive grand parents just shrug their shoulders in disbelief as this child continues to rise to super stardom via his own will and hard work.  It was obvious that they never pushed or dangled him in front of anyone, just stood by him as he made his own way.  I admit, the kid is contagious!   It’s hard not to want him to succeed because all he wants to do is sing and perform and bring joy to his fans.

Not only that, but the movie shows him on tour where he actually damages his vocal chords and has to sit out a few concerts which pains him because he hates to let down his fans.  Who is this kid, and why don’t we have politicians like this who give it their all just for the joy of it?  In fact, some people from Justin’s crew are shown walking through neighborhoods giving away front row tickets to hysterical teenaged girls.  The tour manager even comments that this is his favorite part of the job!   What is going on here?  Is this some kind of “feel good” movement?  Perhap?

Well, whatever it is, I’m all for it!   The cynical side of me believes that it will take a whole lot of Justin Bieber’s to make a difference in our world today but at the rate this kid is going, all he has to do is keep doing what he loves and the rest will follow.  A child who came from nothing, doing what he loves and changing the social landscape of a world that has forgotten for the moment that joy begets joy?   Sounds like a familiar story and not one to be underestimated so if you get a chance to watch Never Say Never with your kids, do it!   Who knows, if enough of us see it, we might become part of the fever too!

There’s a creative change in the air.  Some call it The Shift others see it as a renaissance.  How do you see it?  And what are you doing to support and encourage it in yourself, others and the world around you?  Please share.

Readjustment Bureau

Saw the movie Adjustment Bureau and liked it a lot!  It made me think about all the times I forced myself to do something or accomplish something without my heart being truly in it.  Like the many sales jobs I’ve had over the years and just didn’t believe in the product.  It didn’t matter how much team building I did or how many product showcase events I attended, if I didn’t care, I just couldn’t sell it!
    A similar epiphany occurs to the main character of this movie, played by Matt Damon, who is on the road to a successful presidential bid when he discovers his true love, played by Emily Blunt.  Also on the road to a successful future as a dancer/choreographer, she is suddenly awakened to a new side of herself.  Both freaked out by what this love might mean for their futures, they find themselves moving from a semi-rewarding unconscious life to a conscious life that brings them both passion and havoc.
     Paying and attention to the many twists and turns their lives have taken since they met, they discover that their predestined life of fame and fortune is not exactly what they desired after all.  Why choose the messy life over an accomplished life?  I guess that is the question the movie leaves up to the audience?
    For me, it’s a question of paying attention to when my head and heart are disconnected in any given situation and making a course adjustment.  This kind of realignment may beg the question: “What do I need today to make my life fruitful?”  I find that sometimes going through the motions is exactly what I need to do because it keeps me on track toward my more desirable life which has to do with staying connected to my family, friends and keeping everyday life enjoyable. 
    Not too interested in accomplishments but rather in who I am becoming, some days the process may entail buying groceries, driving the kids around and doing the laundry.  Other days, it might include creative projects, outreach and making intentional connections.  Whatever the case, I find that life is much more rich when I’m present to it rather than just trying to control or striving for a successful outcome.  Process over product.
    How about you?  When do you find yourself striving rather than living?  Seeking out the ends without being present to the means?  And finally, when do your thoughts of “what could be” get in the way of “what is happening right now”?

Black Swan: Grounding Through Dance

I went to see “Black Swan” with a friend over the holiday weekend. It was definitely as creepy as I thought it would be, yet surprisingly beautiful at the same time. A “Psychological Thriller,” maybe? A movie about the often bumpy road toward transformation, definitely!
Putting aside all the gore and psychotic, dream-like sequences, I was mostly moved by the main character’s desire to dance. This unwavering commitment to an art form that has the ability to transcend all of life’s hardships was truly something to behold. Her passion for graceful movement had a kind of life grip to it that made it easy to see that it was the main thing that kept her going. When stripped down to it’s bare bones, their really wasn’t anything else in this girl’s life that could remotely get her through the challenge she was being forced to undertake. It was the one thing that kept her human when everything else was crumbling around her. The one thing she held on to during a process that could have easily lead her astray. A kind of touchstone that kept her on course in the darkness of the unknown.
Looking at my own life, I wonder what is the current touchstone for me? During my thirties it was definitely my kids. Nothing seemed more important than meeting their daily needs. As they got older, I realized that they not only counted on me for stability but that I was counting on them as well. As I watched them watch me, I too began to get a new perspective on who I was to them and who I was to myself. They acted as my little mirrors and kept me humble and motivated to change that in me that was no longer useful or helpful.
Most recently, my touch stone has become writing. To bring that which floats around in my head all day down to a place that makes sense to my everyday life. Resembling a loop, I bring my outer experiences to a place of self-examination and then reconcile it in a way that makes sense to me and hopefully others. No longer separate, my desire is to both transcend and ground that which brings wholeness to myself and those around me.
For my husband, this centrifugal force seems to be music. It seems to “fill his well,” so to speak. He can put up with his day job as long as he has his music to keep him transcending that which can easily become mundane and life-sucking. Call it his “passion” or “reason for being,” I am grateful that he has learned to honor that which keeps him most vital and alive.
I guess this is how it is for most of us? Finding that one thing which transforms the extraordinary into the ordinary of daily living. That thing that keeps it real, down-to-earth and out of the intertwining clouds of thought. What is this for you reader? We’d like to hear.

Rolling the Dice on Superman

Last night, I saw Davis Guggenheim's, "Waiting for Superman" in a packed house at the Uptown Theater in Minneapolis. Going into it, I was already warned of it's slant against teacher unions but even so, I was determined to keep an open mind. Working in the urban school system and having middle school children myself, I have to say, I was surprised at what I came away with. I think the director made some valid points but was definitely short-sighted when stressing that bad teachers and teacher unions were the entire problem. Besides, he kept referring to Finland as the the leader in education, yet they are all unionized as well.
The underlying point I came away with from this movie was something I never expected. Whether the director was conscious of it or not, I suddenly realized that our culture is completely and utterly addicted to the rush or high that comes from gambling with each others futures. Let me explain:
The American Dream is based on "making it". Whatever this means, doesn't really matter, what matters is how our culture seems to have internalized this message. In this movie, we have parents literally "rolling the dice" to get into the best charter schools. We have parents gambling with tuitions, not knowing if they can actually make the next payment, just hoping against the odds that things will work out. We have parents taking their vulnerable children to lottery drawings for charter schools, only to have their little faces fill up with tears when the lottery ball (much like the one used in Bingo parlors) doesn't roll in their favor. Distressed and upset, the children that didn't win this particular crap shoot have no idea what just happened, just that they lost to the big roulette wheel in the sky and are now forever cast as losers. Probably a feeling that will continue to motivate them further and further into the dismal world of a betting culture. This "black and white" thinking is actually extremely prevalent in our culture that continues to dangle the carrot of "what could be" if only the decks were stacked in our favor. Just look at Wall Street these days! This "black and white" thinking is also prevalent in the culture of addiction which breeds no responsibility or accountability. Of course, the biggest piece that a culture based on addiction breeds is the absolute commitment to fear. During the movie, they show the teacher's union sitting in silence when asked to vote on a resolution that might mess with the one solid thing in their lives, a steady paycheck. The one thing every human being strives for, yet in our culture, is somehow supposed to be ashamed of. The teachers were literally stuck to their seats, immobilized with fear. Wondering why anyone would ask them to give up on a steady, realistic future. A paycheck that isn't tied to rolling the dice on their futures or their children's future. A paycheck that is more than just an income but a state of mind. Now, I ask you, why would anyone want to give that up? Perhaps, this is the underlying point of our education system. Perhaps, this culture that is addicted to gambling and fear could take a closer look at the first step of the Twelve Step program: We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable and start from there.
What if the education system and it's tangled web is simply a system that is holding on for dear life in a culture that asks you to dream big, grow and prosper yet so willing to rip the carpet from under you in lieu of a "winning hand" or a lucky roll of the dice. I believe you can't have both. You can't expect a culture to flourish and prosper if their is no safety net or solid foundation to land upon. In fact, a culture that asks you to bet it all, all the time, is asking you to do something that goes against human nature. So maybe it's time to look at our education system as a reflection of a much bigger problem and finally admit to ourselves that rolling the dice on dreams should no longer replace the basic human need for safety and security.