The New Year is always believed to be a time of renewal, of good feelings, and of fresh starts. That, at least, is the belief and hope of us all. I’m not sure what makes us think that the arbitrary changing of numbers on a calendar is going to make a difference but we do. I always want each year to make some giant change or difference in the world but when it comes down to it I don’t take the necessary steps to do anything and rather I find myself sitting idly by and watching the world change around me. This past year I finally took a step to change my own reality and I’m happy that I did. I started writing and publishing my thoughts and ideas. Sure, it’s on a small scale but that doesn’t matter, a tsunami can start with a mere ripple in the water. This year I want to do something else while I continue my writing venture and see where it takes me. I want to start a movement for everyone to do something so simple yet so important. The idea came to me and initially it sounded like a dumb hippy move that sounded ridiculous but then I thought about it. I wanted to have a day where everyone just drops their boundaries, drops their preconceived notions, drops their animosity, and just decides to be cool to one another.I know what you are probably thinking, “Well, duh, of course we should all be cool to one another. I do that anyway” or “Dusty, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Well, that’s kind of what I thought initially too. When I say that everyone should be cool, I mean everyone. In particular, I want people that normally don’t get a long or people that disagree to get along starting with just a day. I’d love to see someone like Rick Santorum give a hug to Clay Aiken. I’d love to see the current Imperial Wizard of the KKK give a friendly handshake with a Muslim. It would warm my heart to see Newt Gingrich and Barack Obama dance a jig together to The Gourd’s cover of “Gin and Juice”. But you see all of that is on a large, public scale and nothing ever goes to the top without starting at the bottom. A movement of people being cool to one another, even just for a day, would have to start small. It would mean two ex-friends that haven’t spoken to one another in 5 years to call each other up and say, “Hey old friend. How are you?” It would take the restraint of the normally impatient businessman waiting in line at the Starbucks behind the indecisive teenage girl to simply say, “It’s okay, take your time.” It would start with the mother and daughter who’ve lived in constant strife with one another throughout their entire co-existence to shut up and give each other a hug. Any change of view or behavior always starts off small.
You might be thinking, “Why?” Well the way I see it is that we’ve all become too involved and too self-centered with ourselves. We seem to always be looking at the wrong that someone else is doing and not looking at our own. So much energy is spent on being negative to one another, just look at the current GOP race. Each candidate is spending untold energy, money, and resources on bashing and bad mouthing the others. Aren’t they all supposed to be on the same team? Shouldn’t they be more concerned with making this country and this world a better place and put aside their own selfish wants? Look at the whole Occupy Wall Street movement. The uber-rich stomping on the mediocre and poor. Men in $10,000 suits making decisions that could crush those who make $30,000 per year. Wouldn’t it be great to see these banker’s giving back and getting rid of these ridiculous loan rates? Look at people like Perez Hilton who is seemingly always involved in some sort of celebrity feud where it boils down to him making fun of some attribute of the celebrity. Entire TV shows and magazines are functioning solely on finding and reporting bitchy little insignificant things about pseudo-celebrities. People build entire careers on being assholes. Yeah, sometimes it’s funny and yes, I am guilty of it myself at many times in my life but what would happen if it could all change for a day?
Nothing much would happen if this happened on one random day, but what if it extended into another day and then a week, a month, a year, or a lifetime? If on this random day of being cool to one another, we could take an inventory of ourselves, see what others see in us, what would we find? Would you be happy with others perception of you? Would you be proud of your actions? Would you reconsider how you treat your friends, your family, or your fellow human beings? I think a lot of people would. I believe that a lot could change. As a society, right now, we have never been as close yet so far apart from each other. Things like the internet and social media keep us all wired to information and one another but yet so many people allow themselves to be separated by their different ideologies. I try not to isolate myself from people with different ideas and beliefs. I’m friends with Christians, Atheists, Gays, Transgenders, Republicans, and Democrats. I figure that it is best to learn all I can from people different than myself. I don’t want to limit my own personal education with small minded bigotry. I may not agree with everyone’s beliefs but I can listen. My problem comes in when those beliefs or ideas are used to hurt others or when people stand behind their own hypocrisy without blinking and eye. I think we should all make a concentrated effort to be cool with someone we would normally be disgusted with.
It’s a hard concept to truly wrap your mind around even if it does sound simplistic. Imagine that you are at Wal Mart, you have 3 items total in your buggy, every cashier is lined up, and out of the corner of your eye you see a new line open up. You start to rush to it and from the opposite direction a woman with her 4 screaming kids come barreling in front of you with a cart that could potentially break down a semi-truck. Your normal impulses would say to you, “Oh come on, I’ve only got 3 items. Can’t you let me go…bitch” But on my national day of coolness, you resist that urge, you smile and nod to the woman as she proceeds to take the next 30 minutes of your life while checking out. It would be hard to do right? But that’s part of it, it would be nice to see people putting aside small things and that could eventually lead to bigger conflicts being put aside. Just think if you’re random act of kindness or non-bitchiness could lead to Israel and Palestine coming together for square dance party.
So here is what I’m asking of anyone who reads this: On January 13th 2012, (yes that is Friday the 13th) put aside your petty issues and anger with others and go out of your way to be cool to them because I officially declare January 13th “Be Cool Day”. Take a moment to learn something about someone completely different than you without the preconceived notions. If you are a Christian, take a moment to talk to an Atheist. You don’t have to change your ideology, but at least you can gain a perspective. If you are a homophobe, get to know a gay dude. Maybe you’ll figure out that it doesn’t matter who sleeps with who and that love is love. If you’re a racist, hang out with a black or Hispanic or whatever-race-you-hate-dude. Perhaps you’ll see that all of those prejudices you had were wrong. When the soccer mom veers over into your lane with her minivan and nearly runs you off the road, just smile and wave. I guess when it comes down to it, I’m just tired of seeing so many people hating each other over having different views or arguing over petty things that clearly don’t matter or people throwing each other under the bus to save their own ass. Be cool to others at least for a day, see what happens. And remember the only way that this gets anywhere is if you share the word and show your coolness.
I'm in!, friday it is!
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