I am! I said.

“What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
The Little Prince
Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste, Comte de Saint Exupéry
French Aristocrat, Author & Airman
1900 — 1944

When you stand to speak, you may have doubts. Your self confidence may evaporate. You may think yourself inadequate to the task. Your success as a speaker hangs on the outcome of this inner dialogue, which is a subset of a larger cultural phenomena.

There’s a war on. A multitude of wars against the very existence of the miraculous core of a human being — the ineffable human spirit.

• Against the sheer numbers of some cultures, the individual can be reduced to a meaningless dot by the majestic machinery of the State.
• Against the technological manifestation of omnipresent bits and bytes, a mere person can be reduced to apparent insignificance.
• Against the backdrop of the cosmos, a momentary flare of individual brilliance can burn out and seem never to have existed at all.

But despite the magnitude of the opposition, the Individual Will, the Soul, the Spirit, the Heart, persists in making itself felt: “I Am!” (Many of the world’s religions relate a founding story about the moment of intimate contact between a man and the Deity, which declares “I Am!”)

Soul, Spirit… It’s invisible. It’s nothing! Though, when this particular kind of “nothing” is present, everything goes fine. But when it’s absent, well, that’s death defined. Though physically invisible, it’s simply essential.

In a world that only seems to value the stuff, the product, the mechanical, the physical, the apparent… recognize that when you take your place and remark, “I Am!” everyone must take a moment to notice that You, matter!

And in that moment, the war against the (I)ndividual, is forever lost…

When individuals or groups decide that they matter, interesting things happen:

• Companies are Formed.
• Schools of Thought are Founded.
• Art is Created.
• Countries Come into Being.
• Rebellions Take Shape.
• Cultures Evolve and Change Direction.

When an individual goes to school (Malala Yousafzai), stands up (in Tiananmen Square), makes himself known (Picasso & Guernica), makes a gesture (Tommie Smith & John Carlos), or simply decides, (Harvey Milk), the very Cosmos takes notice. Then the fight (and the fun) begins.

When you’re feeling small, take note that every great historical change took shape around an initial tiny act of individual will and the assertion of self!

I AM! I am here! I matter!

Applications

1. For You
There’s a ceaseless campaign to convince you that your needs, your opinion, your perspective, and your very life are “not that important.” In the shadow of government, corporate affairs, and group identities, you’re small stuff! And that is just not true.

You can talk someone off a ledge. You can convince a teenager to take another shot at life, school, friendships and a full life! You can convince an ailing relative to buck up and win out over an illness. You can convince a friend to persist and find a better job. You can argue for a thoughtful take on a colleague’s work of art or literature. It’s easy, what with dealing intimately with life every day, to deem yourself unimportant. But it’s you that can change the world! Never forget it!

2. For the Family
You and your omnipresence can either grind down a sibling, child or relative — or you can unfailingly build them up — feeding their confidence and certainty until they not only move Out, but Up into the world and become successful. Take yourself seriously and rise to the challenge. Without you, there’s just an empty hole where a supportive family should be.

3. At Work
Hopelessness often takes root in the workplace. Make an effort to take your best self to work. Encourage your colleagues. Appreciate your direct reports and keep reminding people that the future is theirs to create. You can make people’s work life a source of fun, significance, growth and creativity.

You can do it. Little You!

So as you stand poised to begin remember that this is not just your war but a battle in the greater cultural dialectic. Yes, you’re just an individual, only a human being, simply a part of a great tapestry — but You are essential!

Dessert:
From Wikipedia and YouTube…

Neil Diamond and the song, “I Am… I Said”
Lyrics written in less than an hour, in a Los Angeles Holiday Inn… Diamond described how he was depressed about how a movie audition played out. He entered his hotel room alone and sat at the little table by the window, where he took in all the sunshine and palm trees, while yet feeling homesick for New York. He began to doubt his move to the West Coast and felt small and alone in the world… This intense moment was the emotional source of the song.

“Many people,” he said, “questioned the use of ‘the chair’ in the song.” The Chair refers to the second chair at the hotel room table where he wrote the lyrics, the closest thing he had to a companion.

Now, enjoy Neil Diamond singing, “I Am… I Said.”

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