the one about Neoteny

We were so silly, the four of us.

At about 2:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, my three friends and I were in a Rite Aid drugstore in Santa Ana, California. We bought a few things, but we were there for a certain express purpose: to put on a spontaneous musical theatre performance. Not an hour earlier, we had decided to amuse ourselves by changing the words to the Beauty and the Beast song “Be Our Guest” to “I Need Drugs.” We then performed it at unsuspecting 24-hour locations. (Of course, the footage is on youtube. Of course not, I’m not telling you where to find it. In fact, half the freaks on youtube are capitalizing on what I’m about to blog today…)

The first drugstore’s employees gave us a standing ovation. (Granted, there were only two working at the time. But still generous, considering that our performance was completely unrehearsed.) We decided to try a Walgreens; the manager stopped us half-way through and kicked us out.

There’s something to be said about society’s repression of creativity and fun through making people feel foolish. It was difficult enough mustering up the courage to sing and dance in a drugstore!

I just finished one of the most fascinating chapters of nonfiction I’ve ever read: “The Importance of Looking Foolish” from In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day. He mentions a study that found that 98% of children between the ages of three and five score in the genius category for creative thinking and another study that about 100% of first grade students consider themselves to be artists.

What happens? I’m sure you can look back on your own story and decide the answer.

I’ve always considered myself to be really youthful, and a lot of my friends help me stay that way. I love working with kids. I’ve always looked five years younger than I am. I own (slash love) a pair of Heely’s.

Still, I feel the pressure to seem “mature” and not “childlike.”

My new fav word is neoteny, meaning “the retention of youthful qualities by adults.”

World-changers have to get over the fear of looking foolish. And Jesus’ grace is the way to do that. (More to come on grace and the mind-changing message John Bevere gave at the Dream Center.) Jesus came to “proclaim that captives will be released.” This means more than freedom from sin; it also means getting us out of the psychological straightjacket we’ve gotten ourselves into.

I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.

My fraternity name is “hiphoponpop” or “hiphop” for short. I’m almost always dancing to the music in my head, whether I realize it or not. People have called me crazy, fruity, whatever. But I’ve seen that most people, with the right song blasting, go crazy dancing. (Like Elaine doing her thumbs-kicks-dance on Seinfeld.) We may look crazy, but…

“Those who hear not the music think the dancer is mad.”

Who’s really crazy? Me? The dancer who doesn’t care what people think? Or is the people who can’t hear the music?

Jesus didn’t care what society thought of him; young kids don’t either; King David didn’t either. He said,

“I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this.”

I want to be willing to look foolish if it means living life to the fullest.

In update news: I have a place to live next semester. Yeay! Praise God and thank you for your prayers. I still need a job, though. So, keep praying!

A mere mortal

From the City of Angels

Livin his dream