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I'm excited about the possibilities that tomorrow may bring, but I also want to be real about the savior mentality that is being projected on Barak Obama (not by Barak Obama) by supporters. Voting is the first step in electing a leader that most closely represents your beliefs, but standing in a four hour line will not lead to four years of change.

The significance of your vote is less about whose name you check on November 4th and more about what you do once the new president's four-year term begins. Your vote will only be a symbolic gesture unless you put the energy behind it over the next four years to be the change you want to see in your community.

In a true democracy, everyone has a microphone and thus a responsibility speak and act in alignment with their word. Instead of realizing that we each have a microphone and a world stage to perform on via our own communities, we tend to silence our voices and elect who gets the one mic.

"I'm not asking you to believe in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. I'm asking you to believe in yours."

Barak Obama realized that he does not embody every American's beliefs, however, we all embody the potential to do what Barak Obama is doing in our own lives. The President of the United States is not a savior. One man or one woman cannot single-handedly save a country, but if each man and woman in a country does their part, true change can occur in the next four years. Regardless of who gets elected president, the people will determine the state of this country over the next four years.

Lets go back in time to your junior high school American History class to do a quick refresher on the role of the president. As a voter, it is important to understand what the president can and can't do so that your expectations of their four-year term aren't beyond their role. Below is the actual job description of the United States President:

The President's Job Description

The Constitution assigns the president two roles: chief executive of the federal government and Commander in Chief of the armed forces.

• As Commander in Chief, the president has the authority to send troops into combat, and is the only one who can decide whether to use nuclear weapons.
  
• As chief executive, he enforces laws, treaties, and court rulings; develops federal policies; prepares the national budget; and appoints federal officials.
  
• He also approves or vetoes acts of Congress and grants pardons.
  

• Set vision & strategy (ie power to the peope)
  
• Develop competitive advantage (ie education, universal healthcare)
  
• Build a strong team (ie cabinet, supreme court)
  
• Allocate resources effectively (ie taxing the upper-class)
  

What's the point of progress?


I just saw Gandhi the movie last weekend at it reminded me of a quote he once said that "There's more to life than increasing its speed." He was more of a Flintstone. When you think about it, as children we were caught between the Flinstones and Jetsons. Somewhere in the middle of the stone age and the future, we had to to make conscious choice about which way we wanted to go. Was it cooler to have a car that you pedaled or a craft that flies? Was it cooler to eat a huge mammoth rib or a small pill that tasted like one? Was it cooler to have a dinosaur named Dino to lick the dishes or a robotic maid named Rosey to handle the dirty work?


So the 21st century is here and it appears that we've chosen the path of the Jetsons - bigger and faster is better. Despite our "progress" as a world, has anything really changed? Are we any better off within as people because of the technologies without? Where the hell are we rushing to or are we rushing to hell?

I've been rushing my whole life. I came out the womb a month early. I finished college a year early. I finished business school 4 years earlier than average. Now it's time to slow down. As a child I ate Flintstones vitamins. Symbolically, I think there are parts of the Flintstone's lifestyle that are healthy. I'm afraid that the world is going nowhere fast and we need to find a healthy balance between the Flintstones and the Jetsons. Our measurements of progress as individuals (ie income, materials) and a planet (ie economy, GDP) need to be reconsidered. More dollar bills don't mean we're build-ing and speed isn't always the best indicator of quality.

It's bigger than U.S.

In order to achieve a United State of the World, there can be no domination of one country over another or one human over another. We can't have our cake and eat it too. It's not sustainable. Nonetheless, America continues its monkey business (see video below):

1. We want to consume everything at the lowest price possible so we outsource production to other countries and then we get mad there are no jobs here. (I'm guilty of being a price-sensitive Wal-Mart shopper)

2. We declare freedom from Britain through the powerful Declaration of Independence written on July 4, 1776, but then we go on to do the same thing Britain did to us to other countries centuries later (ie He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.)

3. We want (our own) rules to apply to everyone but us. For example, supply and demand says that if demand is high and supply is low, then price is through the roof, yet we have built an oil-based economy but don't want to gas prices to rise.

4. We rape Mother Earth with our industrial and technological revolution, leaving the planetary playground a mess, and then we blame China for making it unfit to play on.

5. We wipe an entire nation of natives off of the face of the Earth and then get mad when another group knocks down our two tallest Legos.

6. We push for nuclear families though we know they aren't as effective as the small communities of multiple families - the institution that got us to where we are today.

Two Related Videos

We're Just Monkeys


Shift Happens

In nations where people have excess time, energy, money, resources, and materials, there is this notion of DOING good. There are those who say to themselves, I'll DO good as I get more and then there are those who say I'm going to BE good regardless of what I have now. There is a huge difference between DOING good and BEING good.

I think that striving to BE good is more powerful than DOING good. People who DO good do it when it is convenient for them or part-time. They volunteer, run a marathon, mentor, donate, etc. In society we celebrate DO-gooders that make one-time weekend contributions while neglecting the BE-gooders that make small contributions to the world with every moment of their life. Creating good is a full-time job. If we're not creating good all of the time, then what are we creating? Money? Money has yet to prove that it can save the world. If I ever win an award, I'd rather win a lifetime achievement award rather than a one-time award, but the only thing about lifetime achievement awards is that they usually aren't awarded until the end of one's life or after they die. But BE-gooders don't seek awards anyways.

Regardless of what other people think, at the end of the day, the Creator will ask us if we did that which we were called to do. DOING good can't be a part-time thing; it must be full-time meaning that it is actually a state of BEING good. The last thing I want to hear on that day is "You did everything except the one thing you were sent to do."

Dear God, help me DO good all the time, by BEING good full-time.

Below is the transcript from a Google chat I had with Selome after a friend of hers said "im not a dreamer, i'm a realist"
_____________________

Selome: what is your analysis of someone who says "im not a dreamer, i'm a realist"

me: Dreamers are realist too. The only difference is that the reality of a dreamer expands beyond the reality of a so called realist :) In the mind of a so called realist, anyone whose possibilities expand beyond their own is called a dreamer.

Realists cut off possibilities and think of the impossible, whereas dreamers create possibilities and think of the in-possible. Neither one knows what is actually possible, but at least a dreamers thoughts and hopes aren't pre-im-prisoned before even trying.

Selome: i'm like but dreams aren't UNrealistic

me: Good point. dreams are just thoughts and realities yet to manifest.

Selome: i was asking him, so u don't have visions that you want to manifest one day? it was like awwww man, u need a smiley face on ur forehead

me: in the same way that a dent-ist works on dental areas, every dreamer must become a real-ist and do work on reality if their dreams are going to manifest.

The 5 Forces that Unite People Most

1. Spiritual Exploration
Last Monday, Oprah and Eckhart Tolle united over 700,000 from 139 countries to discuss spirituality and purpose. This was arguably the most diverse spiritual conversation ever to take place with the exception of life itself. Whereas Sunday morning may be one of the most segregated times in the wold as people pursue their difference branches religion, Oprah is going straight to the root through exploring spirituality for the next few Mondays at www.oprah.com.

2. Emotional Movements
I am not a concert goer, but I know that hip hop has transcend culture and speaks to the hearts and souls of many. The way artists weave words together to speak directly to our personal life experiences and emotions is amazing. Books (ie The Alchemist, The Secret) and films (ie The Matrix) have had the same kind of impact by telling a single story that millions identify as their own.

3. Physical Nourishment
We've all got to eat, so food is a great way to unite people. I just went to a Thai restaurant called Song in New York. It was a great vibe. The food was great, the price was right, and the crowd was diverse. They has a DJ that played old school hip hop while you ate. And of course, you know I host monthly potlucks at my home which bring together people from all walks of life to share and learn from one another by seeking to nourish people physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

4. Goals in Groups
Alcoholics Anonymous is perhaps the world's best personal development organization, helping over 2 million alcoholics heal worldwide. Last November, I attending an AA Thanksgiving celebration at one of their meeting places and it was amazing to see people of different classes, cultures, ages, genders, and sexual orientation come together to heal one another. AA and its sister organizations like Gambler's Anonymous show me that personal development is not personal.

5. Life & Death Situations
Though they aren't the healthiest circumstances to unite around, life and death situations bring people together. The impending threat of global warming is requiring that the everyone work together to change our consumption patterns and lifestyles. If we don't, we die. Whether we like it or not, the Universe will always push us toward unity, for unity is programmed into its design.

Do you have any other ideas...

6. Soccer 7. Higher Education 8. The internet 9....?

I pray for the United State of the World.

Cupid and the Cops

February 14, 2007
exactly one year ago

So I picked up Kalonji from San Jose airport at 9pm. His flight was about 15 minutes late. On the ride back to East Palo Alto, I got him up to speed on Mylinia and my life. I told him that plan A was to get the Echoing Green fellowship, plan B was to finance Mylinia through angel investors, and plan C was to work for Google. He shared with me some of his visions and one of them was "Bless the Block", a recurring group prayer in East Palo Alto.

So we got to his house and dinner was just ending. All of Kalonji's roommates were there, plus two other people. Four of them were going to some concert. Once they left, Jidenna, Kalonji, and I remained. We began discussing life, love, spirituality, and community development like we always do. Jidenna shared a recent dream about one his mentees and his conversation with a local bus driver which started a discussion about housing and employment. I shared some strategies like marketing the local plumber's business so that demand increased and he could hire and train some young black males to meet that increased demand. I believe that everything we need is within our community, but we never take the time to meet people and assess what has what and who needs what. As that conversation came to a close, Kalonji boldly asked if we wanted to go pray at the corner of Pulgas and O'Connor at 10:30pm in East Palo Alto where violence has been elevating since the beginning of the year. Without hesitation we both said yes.

After grabbing jackets and four candles, we walked to the intersection. At that particular intersection there are 3 churches and a Boys & Girls Club. We walked to each corner clock-wise and lit a candle at each. On the fourth corner, we faced the intersection and began praying. They prayed on their knees faced down while I prayed sitting down.

As cars passed by, they took a little bit longer at the 4-way stop sign than usually. Jidenna prayed "God is refuge." Kalonji prayed "1 to 3 to many." And I prayed "Where God is I am. Where I am, God is." We were in deep prayer for about 15 minutes and then I got up and began walking clockwise around the intersection, paying very little attention to the cars and repeating my prayer in silence.

After about 10 circles, the police came. On our 2-block walk to the intersection, we saw 5 police cars. Two police cars stopped in front of me. I kept walking until one office got out of his car and began questioning me.

Officer Norris: Hey, what are you doing?
Jullien: Praying
ON: What are you praying for?
J: No more violence.
ON: What faith are you?
J: I don't have a faith. I just have faith.
ON: What church are you from?
J: Where I'm standing is my church.

At that point, officer Norris let his guard down and introduced himself. He shook my hand and our dialogue continued. He asked where my friends and I were from. I told him "Stanford", though the spiritual answer was "Heaven". Though heaven was the true answer, I felt as if he wanted some worldly answers. He asked me to pick up all of the candles and tell my friends to stop praying! He suggested that we pray inside, not outside.

I proceeded to pick up all of the candles without blowing them out and then I placed them in front of Kalonji and Jidenna. both officers got into their cars and pulled up to the curb that we were on and shined their lights on us. Instead of packing up and leaving, I retained my spot and position from before, closed my eyes, and continued praying. After a minute or two, officer Norris yelled out of his window "Jullien, only pray for about an hour more," and then sped off.

Five minutes later, Kalonji and Jidenna who never broke prayer despite the police's interruption arose and we said a final prayer together aloud. Though I had brought all of the candle back, we walked the corners counter-clockwise and blew each one out as Jidenna prayed "Let there be peace on this corner."

We walked back home in peace.

Student: How do we change the world?

Teacher: Good question! Let’s examine how the world has changed throughout time. How would you describe the world in the beginning?

Student: Euphoric and peaceful.

Teacher: How would you describe it today?

Student: In turmoil.

Teacher: What changed?

Student: The people.

Teacher: So what needs to change to restore order?

Student: The people.

Teacher: You have answered wisely. Many people think that institutions like the government are the root causes of all social problems. But what sustains every institution in existence?

Student: People.

Teacher: Correct! Change the individuals and the institution will naturally change. The true problem is that people don’t understand how their everyday choices aggregate to create larger problems. We can only solve the problem once we realize that part of its source is in us.

Student: So how do I change people?

Teacher: You can’t. You can only change yourself. When Gandhi said “Be the change you wish to see”, he meant for each one of us to be an example of change. Model the lifestyle your heart knows is right; nobody can stop you from doing for self. Others will either choose to accept or reject your model. No convincing is needed. Extrinsic factors like fear, incentives, laws, and force are irrelevant. All lasting change is intrinsic; change must come from within. Change within and you will naturally change without. How do you impact the world?

Live purposefully!