Jim in Real Life

The most oddly inspiring thing I've seen lately

With the combination of geographical gaffes, FISA surveillance "compromises" and terrorist fist bumps (which my 4-year old son and I have done for two years now, usually accompanied by a joyful "BOOYAKASHA!! Respect!!"), it's easy to feel a bit discouraged, overwhelmed or isolated.

That's where this... idea... comes in. Go to every place in the world you can think of and dance with whoever happens to be around there. No politics, religion, race, ethnicity... just a bunch of people dancing.

Every time I watch this, it brings tears to my eyes as a simple reminder that we are all one on this wet spinning blue marble. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

The music is a piece called "Praan" by Garry Schyman. You can buy it here from Amazon.com in a non-DRM MP3 format.

The haunting lyrics are based on a poem and the spirit of the words definitely makes the piece even more powerful, even if you don't speak Bengali:

From Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore (sung by Palbasha Siddique).

“Stream of Life”

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

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If you like the piece, buy the song. And buy Stride Gum. They sponsored it. See, Virginia? Viral marketing DOES work...

And now for something completely awesome...

A headaching post of staggering randomness

This particular post is a consummate exercise in arrogance, as if someone out there would wish to read something I wrote without original substance.

Think of this as a shout out to some people who matter. They may or may not recognize themselves, but sometimes the point of putting thoughts into text is not to be read but simply to create.

1) The Writer

I am hoarding your book, doling out my tastes like an addict watching his stash dwindle. I am afraid on some level of the moment when reading turns into re-reading. So I feed my hunger in tiny tastes.

"They need fierce angels to swoop in and save them from the adults." - Though you, dear author (oh so clever, turning the tables on the oh-so-obvious "dear reader") have likely never read my Facebook page, my "religious views" now reads "believes in fierce angels."

"The car rockets forward, and you close your eyes so you won't know when you're about to die." - I don't even have the words for this one. This might be the most beautiful single sentence I've ever read.

"It's like you met your twin sister, only she's better and different." - How does someone I've never met describe the person I always wanted to meet?

2) The Marketer

Click here. Non illegitmiti carborundum (Wikipedia it). You are a fierce angel, so believe in that no matter what.

3) The Candidate

I have a special little treat tomorrow for Obama supporters... (it's rendering now...) but for tonight, I will simply share the most profound words I have heard that great man speak, delivered to a crowd of 74,999 people and me on the waterfront of Portland, Oregon on 18 May 2008.

"It is important to focus not just on how we win, but why we should."

I have never heard a phrase (save perhaps those above) that has resonated with me in so many ways.

And so, my own dear reader... I will freely admit to bringing nothing original to this post, and close by plagiarizing the ultimate good night:

Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.