Get the Picture

It’s the Beliefs, Stupid

When Bill Clinton ran for president against incumbent George H.W. Bush in 1992, the country was languishing in a recession that the administration was reluctant to acknowledge. Realizing that this was the central concern of voters, Clinton picked up on it and made it the central theme of his candidacy, going so far as to hang a sign in his campaign offices that read “It’s the economy, stupid.” It helped him win that election and put him on a path to re-election four years later.

The present-day parallels to the early ’90s are striking in many ways, and President-Elect Barack Obama’s focus on those similarities no doubt helped propel him to victory in the November election. Regardless of one’s political views, one can’t help but concede that he ran a brilliant campaign and scored an impressive win. But now that the campaign is over, the real task begins: He’s got his work cut out for him.

Or, should I say, we’ve got our work cut out for us.

The list of challenges facing this country today is indeed daunting. But, as practitioners of conscious creation, we must also realize that we contributed to their creation. So it’s not up to just one person – our new president – to resolve these dilemmas; it’s up to all of us.

As we set about seeking solutions, there are several significant points that we need to bear in mind: (1) when we create our reality, we create the totality of our reality, not just parts of it; (2) when we engage in the creation of events that affect more than just our individual selves, we engage in the practice of co-creation; and (3) because of these two foregoing considerations, all aspects of our reality are, in their own way, interconnected. I discuss each of these points at greater length in Get the Picture, but I repeat their essence here, for they truly are central to understanding our current circumstances. They are also integral to the mass problem-solving tasks we must now get ready to undertake.

Of course, as in any conscious creation pursuit, it’s our underlying beliefs and intents that drive the outcomes. So now, as we face the challenges we’ve set for ourselves, it becomes more important than ever to get a handle on these areas. In other words, to paraphrase the Clinton campaign slogan, it’s important for each of us to come to grips with the idea that “It’s the beliefs, stupid.”

Given the size and scope of the challenges at hand, it’s time for us to grow up as conscious creators. We must move forward, self-aware of what we’re doing. The time for sleepwalking is over (that’s what got us into this mess in the first place) and to cast aside the un-conscious and semi-conscious creation practices that I spoke of in Chapter 1 of Get the Picture. It’s also time to put away the idea than any one individual, no matter how much power we may have imbued him or her with, can solve the problems that we’ve created en masse. These are all principles of a paradigm whose time has come and now, thankfully, must go.

Some might contend that this is going to be a difficult process, and they could be right. On the other hand, with recognition of the problems and the intents that caused them, the solutions might come much more easily than expected. Either way, the ease or difficulty we experience in the process will depend, as it always does in conscious creation, on where our beliefs lie. Knowing what they are will determine what we shall become.

The time ahead could be seen as an overwhelming burden. Or it could be seen as a golden opportunity for introducing tremendous innovation and enlightenment, the likes of which we’ve never seen or even dreamed of. It’s up to us, though; what will we choose? If nothing else, we at least know where to start looking. And for that, no one can say we weren’t told.

Posted Wednesday, November 26, 2008 10:05 AM from Brent Marchant | 0 Comments

Express Intent

"The Express: The Ernie Davis Story"

Sports movies are, admittedly, often among some of the corniest and most formulaic films out there, riddled with ubiquitous clichés, manipulative plot devices, and predictable story lines. But every so often, one comes along that, if it doesn’t break the mold, it at least bends it enough so that its cinematic lineage is not quite so obvious. And, if we’re lucky, that movie just might teach us a few things about conscious creation in the process. Such is the case with “The Express: The Ernie Davis Story.”

This well-crafted biopic tells the short but glorious life story of Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), “the Elmira Express,” a charismatic, lightning fast halfback from upstate New York who went on to tremendous success in the football program at Syracuse University. Davis played a pivotal role in leading his team to the 1960 national collegiate championship through an undefeated regular season and a post-season victory in the Cotton Bowl, a game in which he was named MVP. Two years later, Davis would go on to win the prestigious Heisman Trophy as the most valuable player in all of college football.

En route to achieving these accomplishments, we can see Davis’s conscious creation/law of attraction skills at work. Beginning as early as childhood, we see through flashbacks how a young Ernie (Justin Martin) drew upon the power of belief within him to achieve such goals as overcoming stuttering and developing outstanding skills as a runner. Later, upon entering college, we see Davis envisioning the goals he wishes to achieve as a football player – winning a national championship for Syracuse (which had never been done before) and the Heisman (which no African-American had ever received), objectives that indeed would become realized.

But Davis’s accomplishments extended beyond the football field. At a time when the country was still rife with racial prejudice and blatant segregation, Davis earned respect for himself without stooping to the crass, confrontational ways of those who would try to hold him back. He let his accomplishments on the field speak for him, never having to lower himself to his detractors’ level, yet all the while always keeping sight of who he truly was as an individual off the field.

Davis’s achievements also show us what’s possible to accomplish through collective and not just individual efforts. His spirit of teamwork aptly illustrates his understanding of the significance of the connectedness of all things and the role it plays in effective co-creation. When Ernie won, everybody did.

Davis had plenty of mentors along the way, too, and he never shied away from availing himself of their wisdom. First there was his kindly grandfather Pops (Charles S. Dutton), who played a huge role in shaping young Ernie’s upbringing. Then there was Jim Brown (Darrin Dewitt Henson), the NFL great who preceded Davis at Syracuse and helped recruit his protégé to play at his alma mater. But perhaps one of the biggest influences was Davis’s coach, Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid), who ultimately would end up learning as much from Davis as he did teaching him. The reverse mentor role was one that suited Davis well, too, as he himself would later become instrumental in recruiting his successor protégé, Syracuse and NFL great Floyd Little (Chadwick Boseman).

Sadly, Davis’s football accomplishments ended when his collegiate career was over. He was drafted by the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, where he looked forward to sharing the backfield with his idol, Jim Brown. However, Davis was stricken with leukemia and died at age 23. Nevertheless, despite that fact, Davis’s many accomplishments were so respected by the professional team he never played for that the jersey number that was to be assigned to him was retired without him ever having taken a snap of the ball.

“The Express” is a wonderful film on many levels – inspiring, touching, and entertaining, all without being trite or overly sentimental. It’s a great period piece and features a dynamite performance by Quaid, some of the best work he’s ever done. But one of the things I like most about it is that it’s a film one can enjoy without necessarily being a football fan. It’s about people, and, if there’s nothing else Ernie taught us, it’s that people count, and that’s a wonderful “Express” intent if I’ve ever seen one.

(“The Express: The Ernie Davis Story” – 2008; Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Omar Benson Miller, Nelsan Ellis, Charles S. Dutton, Justin Martin, Justin Jones, Nicole Beharie, Aunjanue Ellis, Elizabeth Shivers, Saul Rubinek, Chelcie Ross, Chadwick Boseman; Gary Fleder, director; Charles Leavitt, screenplay; Robert Gallagher, book)

On a personal note: In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that I’m probably a bit partial about this film, given that I am myself a Syracuse graduate. Davis’s playing days were over long before I attended, so I never got to see him work his magic on the field. But I’m proud to see that his story is finally making it to the big screen, given that it has been almost fifty years since he achieved his enviable accomplishments. Davis has sometimes been referred to as the one of the greatest football players no one has ever heard of, but I’m hoping this film will help to change that and to earn him the recognition he deserves for his achievements both on and off the field.

Posted Tuesday, October 21, 2008 12:32 PM from Brent Marchant | 0 Comments