May

Firsts Happen When There’s Courage of Conviction

by Sheron Long on May 2, 2013

Sky showing behind zipper, illustrating firsts that can occur when you show courage of conviction

Reveal the courage of conviction, and push the limits to the sky.
© Hemera

Jason Collins and Wilcox County Teens Push the Limits

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. —Anaïs Nin

Two recent events, startling by both their similarity and difference, make for this week’s “Oh, I See” Moment in the news. Both events show the courage of conviction, the stuff that firsts are made of.

NBA’s Jason Collins Speaks Up

Jason Collins became the first male athlete on a major professional sports team to share publicly that he is gay. The acknowledgment was a life-changer even for this game-changing basketball player.

Road signs, illustrating firsts that can occur when you show courage of conviction

Jason Collins is moving forward.
© iStockphoto

As he told Sports Illustrated about his decision to come out, ” I felt whole for the first time.”

Four Teens Take Action

At prom time this April in Wilcox County, Georgia, four teens relied on their courage as well. The high school there does not put on a prom. Instead, even after schools were desegregated over 40 years ago, white proms and black proms hosted by parents have been the tradition.

This year, however, Quanesha Wallace, Stephanie Sinnot, Mareshia Rucker, and Keela Bloodworth decided to break through that tradition and put on the first integrated prom, themed “Masquerade Ball in Paris.”

It took courage and great effort by these teens, two who are white and two who are black. Why did they do it? The long-time friends, who attend classes and football games together and who sleep over at each other’s homes, also wanted to build joyful memories of their senior prom together.

In other words, like Jason Collins, they wanted to feel whole. And, because of their courage, life expanded for Jason and these teens.

2013 scratched in sand, showing a modern year when firsts are still happening

A modern year, yet the tide of change is still incomplete.
© iStockphoto

Tides of Change

The fact that these two events happened in 2013 in the United States of America, however, is where the differences come in.

How is it that Jason Collins, a black athlete, felt fear and limitations not because of his race but because of his sexuality, while in the same month four teens were fighting against segregation, which was outlawed in the schools in 1954?

Oh, I see. The tide of change moves slowly. Sixty years from now, there will be people pushing past new frontiers of acceptance while (hopefully many fewer) members of the gay community still feel fearful of acknowledging their identity or even encounter unfair treatment.

But change that lifts the limits on individuals’ happiness and self-respect will come. The way to speed it up is for more people to show courage of conviction, speaking out and taking action to pave the road for the people who follow them. While it is sometimes the hardest thing to do, surely the most important is to

Typography spelling the word "Start," to prompt people to follow the courage of their conviction

It takes courage to start.
© iStockphoto

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Sheron Long Comments

Making a Difference/Stereotypes

Apr

Random Acts of Kindness Flow with “Suspended” Coffee

by Meredith Mullins on April 25, 2013

man drinking large coffee after receiving a random act of kindness of a suspended coffee

Coffee warms the heart and spirit
© Fuse Collection

Starting the Day Off Right

“I’ll have a decaf espresso, a caffe latte, a double decaf cappuccino, and a caffe sospeso.”

This could be a scene from LA Story, a barista’s nightmare, or a reminder of how coffee drinking has taken us into a labyrinthe of choices.

It could be all those things . . . but in this instance it’s an order at a coffee shop, sprinkled with a random act of kindness.

Caffe Sospeso: “Suspended Coffee”

The hidden gift in this order is caffe sospeso, an Italian tradition born in Naples that is taking hold around the world.

Caffe sospeso is not an extravagant new coffee concoction. It means, in literal translation, “suspended coffee.”

In practice, this custom is a heartwarming “pay it forward” story. When people buy a coffee, they pay for an extra coffee (or two).

This suspended coffee “offer” then waits for someone in need, someone who asks if there are any suspended coffees available because he or she can’t afford to buy one.

man drinking european coffee after receiving a random act of kindness of a caffe sospeso

Good to the last drop
© iStockphoto

Cafés use a coupon system, bottle caps, or tokens to keep track of the available suspended coffees. They post a suspended coffee sign in the window to let those in need know a hot coffee might be available through a stranger’s generosity.

A Cup of Coffee for All Humanity

The suspended coffee idea is a reminder that we can help people who are less fortunate in many ways—modest or mighty. An important Oh, I see moment.

The original Neapolitan proverb said it best—”This is a way to offer a cup of coffee to all humanity.”

Man in furry hood drinks coffee after receiving a random act of kindness of suspended coffee.

Hot coffee makes winter life in the street a little warmer.
© iStockphoto

This coffee “movement” has now taken root from the UK to Bulgaria to Australia to the U.S. Word is spreading that this tradition is a simple way to offer kindness to strangers.

The “Suspended Coffee Supporter Facebook page has more than 76,000 fans and keeps people updated on cafés that are joining the caffe sospeso community (or, if you’re in Taiwan, the “suspended noodles” community).

Pay It Forward

The beauty of this kind of movement is that it inspires other acts of kindness. Grocery stores and restaurants are also following this path. Spontaneous “pay it forward” moments are becoming legendary in many countries.

People pay for the next person in line at a drive-in.
A man performs 65 random acts of kindness on his 65th birthday.
An 8-year-old boy opens a lemonade stand to help a neighbor whose house was damaged in a storm.
A competitor carries her injured opponent over the finish line.

The stories are (thankfully) endless.

In a time when bad news often seems to outweigh the good, random acts of kindness can help to shift the balance and make us feel good again about humanity.

The gift can be as simple as a cup of coffee.

Hot coffee warms the soul . . . for the one drinking and for the one who has given an anonymous gift. A little kindness can go a long way.

hands holding coffee and cigarette after a random act of kindness with a suspended coffee

The French version of suspended coffee: café en attente
© Meredith Mullins

If you like the idea of suspended coffee, talk with your local coffee shop and start the coffee flowing.

And, if you’d like an extra random act of kindness, take a look at this video. It’s not coffee-related, but it will sure make you feel good.

If video does not display, watch it here.

Today is International Pay It Forward Day, so visit the Pay It Forward Foundation site to see what you can do.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 5 Comments

Clever Ideas/Italy/Making a Difference

Apr

Claudio Garzón’s Recycled Art: It’s Full of Trash

by Janine Boylan on April 22, 2013

Claudio Garzón at work, showing his creative idea for recycled art

Claudio Garzón carefully paints one of his sculptures.
© Claudio Garzón

A Creative Idea for Ocean Plastic

Claudio Garzón cherishes the waterways around his home. He walks along the L.A. River nearly every day and collects things that catch his eye. But he’s not picking up colorful rocks or interesting shells—he’s picking up plastic garbage.

Ocean Plastic Facts

Most of the trash in the ocean and on the beaches is plastic. Unlike paper or wood debris, most plastic never completely biodegrades. Instead it breaks into smaller and smaller and smaller pieces until it isn’t easily seen. But it’s there.

plastic trash collected by Claudio Garzón, which, with a creative idea, will become recycled art

Fish can ingest the plastic debris, and, since they cannot digest it, it stays in their stomachs. Sea creatures can become entangled in plastic and get harmed or even drown. And it is likely that the chemicals in plastic are being transferred to marine life, which in turn can pass to you through the food chain.

baby turtle by Claudio Garzón, showing a creative idea for recycled art

An OIC Moment

This type of information concerns Garzón. Not only does he want to keep the plastic out of the ocean, but he wants to educate others about its harmful effects.

As Garzón was preparing to instruct a summer art class, he remembered reading about a soldier who created art from bottle caps. It was Garzón’s Oh, I See moment—he could incorporate environmental education into his lessons by having students create art from trash.

This course developed into several others, including a multiweek class for children in the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles.

He simultaneously began turning his own creative ideas into PlasTikobots, science fiction robots, created entirely from the plastic he found. Study his sculptures closely, and Oh, you’ll see the plastic Legos, bottle caps, combs, and more.

hammerhead shark by Claudio Garzón, showing a creative idea for recycled art

Many of Garzón’s PlasTikobots are modeled after sea creatures, particularly turtles and sharks, reflecting his passion for the ocean. As part of his education programs, his nonprofit organization, Save Oceans and Seas, helps spread the word about protecting these sea creatures from the trash that his art is made of.

pre-painted art by Claudio Garzón, showing a creative idea for recycled art

The Creative Process

When Garzón is inspired or commissioned to make a creature, he heavily researches the real animal to understand how it is shaped and how it functions. Then, when he has a clear vision, he searches his garage full of found plastic for just the right elements to cut and build. The final step is to meticulously paint the creature. He explains that he spends a lot of time on the turtle eyes to give them perfect wise and soulful looks.

leatherback turtle by Claudio Garzón, showing a creative idea for recycled art

Making a Difference

While Garzón displays his work regularly at art galleries and donates his work to charities like Heal the Bay, his passion is teaching children how they can make a change and keep the ocean clean.

Through his Oh, I see moment, Garzón uses creative ideas to turn trash into recycled art and educational opportunites.

How will you be inspired to make a change this Earth Day, April 22?

baby turtles by Claudio Garzón, showing a creative idea for recycled art

Garzón’s students will be displaying their work on April 26, 2013, at the Gallery Expo 4321 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA from 4-8pm.

To reuse plastic you may accumulate, download these 10 Practical and Creative Ideas.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Janine Boylan 3 Comments

Making a Difference/The World's Art & Design

World Views:

Topics

Category Archives: Traveling Through Life